Another Future
by Ayra Sei Ethari
Summary: Sequel to Another Past: Kya has settled into her new life, even running a pilot program with Obi-Wan. But then something goes terribly wrong and they crash on Hoth. She must change destiny in the future, but this time, it's not just her life at risk...
1. Summary and Trailer

**_Another Future_**

_Summary:_ Kya has settled into her new life, even running a new pilot program with her husband. But then something goes terribly wrong and they crash – on Hoth. She must change destiny in the future this time – but this time, it's not just her life at risk. . . Can they persuade Anakin to bring balance to the Force? Or will their interference merely cause the Force to slide ever deeper into darkness, beyond even the aid of a Walker?

_Rating:_ T due to the complexity of the storyline and some of the more suggestive parts of the story

_Genre:_ angst (emotional & some physical) ; romance ; hurt/comfort ; friendship ; mystery

_Canon Character(s):_ Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi (40); Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine ; Luke Skywalker (22) ; Leia Organa (22) ; Han Solo ; Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker

_OC Character(s):_ Knight Kya Kenobi ; Lady Elizabeth

_Set During:_ ESB

_Author's Note:_ Another Future is the sequel to my original story, Another Past. I wrote Another Past as the first story in the trilogy, Another Universe, but for a time I was unsure if I was going to continue. But I am. Unfortunately, that means that if you haven't read Another Past, this story will be very confusing. It can stand alone, but the easiest way to understand everything will be to read the prequel first.

Another thing is that for the characters listed – there are obviously more canon and OCs mentioned, but unless I believe that they will have a POV or play a major role, they aren't mentioned. For example, Aurora Ranor, Obi-Wan and Kya's daughter, does not play a big role, even though she appears.

Lastly, this story takes place two years after the events of Another Past. The two year gap will be covered in the Prologue.

* * *

**_Trailer_**

A big black screen with the words – _Parallel universes exist everywhere, bound by the Force and with identical destinies and faces. Each will follow the same tragic storyline, with love and hate, trust and betrayal, life and death._

_But not all are bound to that fate._

Kya Kenobi appears, long brown hair down, sapphire eyes sparkling. With her stands her husband, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and their daughter, Aurora Ranor.

_Kya Ranor-Kenobi – wife, mother, Jedi . . . and Walker. One bound to a destiny to take a journey that could change the destiny of all worlds . . . or destroy them._

_A journey already begun._

The scene fades off the screen.

_And a journey that begins yet again._

**Flash.**

Kya brushes the lever with her hand and the Force before returning her attention to another panel. But the starlines continue. With a frown, she pushes it again – it moves, but nothing happens.

"Obi-Wan?"

"What?"

"Aren't we supposed to be coming out of hyperspace about now?"

He swivels around and yanks on the lever as well. It moves all the down, but the starlines continue – something has clearly gone terribly wrong.

"I get no readings," she says. "There's nothing wrong, except – "

The entire ship shakes suddenly, and the Force surges as they come out of hyperspace.

Right on a collision course.

**Flash.**

"Ben Kenobi is dead," declares a young man with pale blue eyes.

"No, he isn't," Kya objects.

"You must be thinking of my brother," explains Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan Kenobi is dead – Darth Vader killed him, yes? He is – _was_ my brother. _I_ am Ben Kenobi."

**Flash.**

Cold fills Kya's being and she stumbles with a gasp. Obi-Wan catches her instantly.

"What's wrong?" he demands.

"Vader. He's here. And he's looking for us."

**Flash.**

"With all due respect, Master Yoda, I disagree," Obi-Wan says calmly. "My affection for Kya does not blind me to my duty – if anything, it makes me all more aware of it."

The old Master snorts. "Against the Jedi Code, love is."

"Only selfish, uncontrollable, obsessive love," Obi-Wan corrects. "Not – "

He gasps and falls to his knees. At the same time, Luke screams and topples as pain ripples through the Force.

**Flash.**

Vader slashes at Luke and bats away his blade. Moments later, his own lightsaber is on a fatal course with one end trajectory – Luke's arm.

Suddenly, Vader's lightsaber jerks away and back – and is caught by Obi-Wan.

With a roar, the Sith whirls on him and makes a fist. Obi-Wan chokes, falling to his knees and dropping both lightsabers.

**Flash.**

Slowly, oh-so-slowly, Vader opens his light blue eyes, free at last of the confining, monstrous black suit. He takes a breath, his first on his own in over twenty years. And then his eyes widen in disbelief as he scans the room.

"I killed you! You're dead!"

He heaves himself at Obi-Wan – and then the Force surges with the power of that surpasses even his own.

He freezes, although not of his own will.

Kya slips in between them, her hands outstretched. "Sit down, my brother, and listen before you judge," she orders.

**Flash.**

"The security of the Death Star is impenetrable," Admiral Ackbar protests.

"Nor can we afford to lose our best," General Madine adds, his eyes flitting pointedly over the group.

Kya sighs. "We have no choice – this may well be our only shot at taking out the Emperor. And no security is flawless."

Mon Mothma eyes her. "What do you propose, then?"

**Flash.**

The Emperor rises slowly. "So . . . you chose this route, Walker. The White Lady predicted you would – and now you and your friends will suffer the consequences."

His hands flash out, and the Force tilts, sliding into pain and darkness and blinding mist.

**Flash.**

"_Anakin, save me!_"

The voice is a mere echo, a whisper from a shade of the long-dead Padmé Amidala.

Anakin hesitates.

"The White Lady can return her to you," the Emperor urges. "Just give her your pledge – and your strength."

"Padmé . . ." Anakin whispers, reaching for her.

With each centimeter his fingers travel, his eyes widen – and begin to turn lighter and lighter until they are almost completely white, even the pupil. The air shimmers about him, and shadowy grey mist curls about him, encasing his legs and torso and arms, whispering of the power he deserves.

Chanting is heard, softer but gaining in strength. And over it comes awful, delighted laughter.

**Flash.**

"I have to do it."

"No! I can't kill Sidious; I'm just a Walker. Only Anakin can. If you kill him – "

"I have no choice! He's killing you!"

"Obi-Wan, no!"

Kya grabs for him, but it is too late – Obi-Wan activates his lightsaber and throws it with deadly aim straight at Anakin Skywalker.

Words – _Kya Kenobi is a Walker, but even now only an apprentice. Can she face the next challenge and return alive? Or perhaps the better question is this: Can Obi-Wan Kenobi, her husband and mate, resist the call of an enemy even greater than the Sith, a call that will destroy not only him but all hope for the last of the Walkers?_


	2. Prologue

**_Prologue_**  
[Excerpts from the journal of Jedi Knight Kya Ranor]

**Entry:**  
It has already been one full year since I have returned, and I have finally settled into my new life.

It is so . . . amazing to live here. Every morning I wake up with the feeling of a clean, calm Force flowing around me and peace in the universe. Every day I see and talk and laugh with my daughter, the child-now-girl that I was separated from for over thirteen years. And every night, when I fall asleep, it is in the arms of my husband, the man I love – Obi-Wan Kenobi.

These may seem like small, trivial things, but to me they are as precious as each breath of air I breathe. No, even more precious. Even more precious than the peace in this universe; more precious than an ocean of my own blood; even more precious than my connection to the Force and my unique abilities.

I would not trade anything to change my life now.

**Entry:**  
Today I was finally Knighted.

I accompanied Master Windu on a few more missions before I was officially Knighted. The Masters of the Council pretty much unanimously agreed that I had already gone through enough to account for all of the Trials.

I have already proven my skill with the blade and the Force many times already, both in this universe and in my home, which is the basis for the Trial of Skill. I have already suffered grave losses, such as that of seeing the deaths of my friends, my family, and my Master in my home universe, which is the basis for the Trial of Flesh. As for the Trial of Courage, well, I was courageous enough to venture into a new universe and try to change its fate completely, facing skeptical a Jedi Order and combating a vastly superior Sith Master. And the Trial of Spirit . . . well, the Force administered that to me when I faced Darth Sidious and saw in him a vision of who I could be – and then chose to ignore that and stay in the light.

Shortly after this, the Council granted Obi-Wan and me permission to marry. At last, after so many years of separation – thirteen for him; twenty-one for me – we are married and don't have to worry about concealing our emotions anymore. It is such a relief to know that it is no longer against the Jedi Code to love someone.

Obi-Wan, of course, is no less relieved. His reputation is rising quickly through the eyes of many Jedi, and I daresay that one day he may sit on the Council because of what he accomplishes in peace rather than, as my Master, what he accomplished in the times of war.

Aurora is still getting used to having a mother, but she doesn't seem bothered by it. I am grateful for that. She has earned the respect of many Jedi for dealing appropriately with her negative feelings concerning me "abandoning" her, releasing them into the Force or talking directly to me rather than letting them build up.

Our family is close to the other Jedi family like us.

Qui-Gon and Tahl married a few years after the Naboo War, and then they worked together to find the money to free Shmi, who now lives on Coruscant at the Jedi Temple. She is an invaluable aid in the Archives and the crèche, and even though she is not a Jedi, she too has become respected and valued.

My husband still thinks of Qui-Gon as his father figure, really, and Tahl and I have become very close, close enough that I could almost think of her as a mother figure. She is very kind and compassionate, and her sharp wit is enough to make me relax.

Many times, our two families will gather together – Obi-Wan, Aurora, me, Qui-Gon, Tahl, Anakin, and Shmi. We share something that most Jedi do not, for which I am thankful for, but hopefully one day the Council will understand it too. Maybe one day all Jedi will be free to find the one they love.

**Entry:**  
Today we determined that my daughter does not possess my special ability. I'm actually rather relieved, just as I was relieved about Winter. I do not want my daughter to suffer from walking between the light and the dark like I do.

However, I'm pretty sure that Aurora has a special ability of some sort. I'm just not sure what. After all, Winter was gifted with an instinctively photographic memory.

And besides . . . my Lady Mother has already told me that children of Walkers are not like normal Force-sensitives. They won't be as powerful as me, or even perhaps as Obi-Wan, but they will be stronger than a normal Jedi.

In any case, Aurora's strength grows daily under Obi-Wan's careful teaching. I fear I have little to offer my daughter, as she tends to favor Soresu – which is Obi-Wan's strength, not mine.

And I am still learning myself. My education was so rushed that I know I still have much to learn. I mean, were I to duel Obi-Wan without the Force, I can easily tell who would win – and he would win in less than twenty minutes, I am quite sure. My overwhelming strength in the Force is the only reason I am on par with the Masters, not my skill with the blade. Besides, I was only a 16-year-old, half-trained Padawan then, so considering my bladework superb is a joke.

Therefore, despite my official status as a Knight, I have resumed my education under the guidance of Masters Dooku and Windu. My Makashi is still a little rusty, and my Vaapad has much to be improved on.

All I really can offer is more information about the Walkers.

Obi-Wan, for instance, still doesn't really know everything he should. The Force will guide him in times of danger, but it's also nice to understand some of the guidance sometimes.

The Archives also need more information. I cannot give away all of our secrets, for I am sure each Walker will eventually find her or his way and find a Lady Mother or Lord Father to guide them, but I think it won't hurt for the Jedi Order to understand more about us in case I am no longer around the next time a Walker is born.

And Aurora.

She needs to know as well. The call of the Walkers is not yet strong about her – but then again, she is very young. But I fear that since the Force is strong about her, she will still wield elements of our power.

I have yet to consult my Lady Mother on this, but I will soon – I will need all the advice I can get.

**Entry:**  
I have begun working on improving my control over my gift, the gift to drain energy from others. It is a dangerous gift, and to be honest, I only just realized that I never really took formal lessons on how to control it.

It was Obi-Wan who brought it to my attention. He wanted to know how far I could go, to see if I could aid healing by simply channeling the energy instead of draining it.

I know I can.

The question now is whether I have enough control to be able to do it.

After all, every Walker's gift can be used for good and evil. It is meant, when we are young and vulnerable, for self-defense, but it can be used for other purposes as well. Even my Lady Mother's gift to interfere with body systems could have been directed for good; she could, for example, halt the body from going into shock or seizure and give healers more time to work.

Obi-Wan is confident that I can learn to control my gift. I control it every time I am around him, after all, and we have already learned to share energy. I can channel it to him.

Now the question is whether I can learn to channel it to others.

In that, I am not so confident as Obi-Wan. I still remember how once I nearly killed him with my gift, and I have no wish to injure someone else should I lose control. Obi-Wan is sure he could stop me, for he is my mate. But I worry. I don't want things to do terribly wrong.

**Entry:**  
After over a month of debate and argument, we have finally achieved a compromise.

For the first few times, I shall learn to channel energy through Obi-Wan – constantly and in ever-increasing amounts, as he uses the energy to perform simple yet draining telekinetic acts. The theory is that my instincts will recognize that he is my mate and not harm him (for as Obi-Wan pointed out, the time I had nearly killed him we had barely known each other). Of course, it is not _my_ theory, but the Council agrees and I have grown tired of arguing.

The first time was actually a little difficult; my gift is usually triggered by danger and stress, and now I was attempting it in a peaceful, normal setting. So it took a while for it to work. When it did, the amount quickly grew until I stopped, alarmed and concerned for Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan chided me over that, and I retorted.

We rarely argue, but there are things that we really disagree about and this seems to be one of them.

Afterwards, I stormed away, furious that he was asking me to risk his life for an experiment. I was so angry that I even blocked our bond, something I hadn't done in so many years. Even now, the door is locked and the bond remains shut.

On one hand, I don't want to come across anyone, not even my daughter. If there is an emotion to trigger my gift, anger is one of them.

On the other hand . . . I can't face Obi-Wan yet.

**Entry:**  
I should have known that the Force-suggestion and the locked door weren't enough to get it into Obi-Wan's head that I wanted to be alone.

I mean, a locked door would certainly send a strong message. If that wasn't enough, the blocked bond might indicate how I felt. And if _that_ wasn't enough, then the very strong ward around the door that I had laced with a potent _stay away_ Force-suggestion should have done the job for anyone trying to get to me.

Apparently, Obi-Wan was stubborn enough to ignore all of those indicators.

Because I woke up in the morning to find his arms still around me as usual, the bond unblocked, and his innocent-looking blue-green eyes fixed on mine.

My anger had already drained away as I had slept, and it was clear that his had as well. So we had apologized to each other, and the fight had been forgotten.

Well, not completely.

But at least _some_ of what I was saying got into his head.

Now when we practice, we always have another Jedi present just in case something goes wrong. At worst, they can render me unconsciousness if I go too far. At best, hopefully they will remain just a precaution.

And I am still not quite sure how he managed to break down the block I slammed across our bond. Bypassing the door would have been easy; a simple push with the Force would have done it. As for the ward – all one would need to do was shield one's mind and force oneself to walk straight through without faltering. It would take some time and attempts, but it could be done.

On the other hand . . . to take down the block. . . That would have required _hours_ of neutralizing every little component of the block.

So I still don't know exactly how he did it.

But I haven't asked.

I am just happy that he did.

**Entry:**  
Every day, my control over my gift increases. I am able to channel more and more energy through Obi-Wan now.

Unfortunately, the practice also takes its toll on me.

I find myself much more exhausted afterwards, much more likely to snap at someone for no reason or to doze off in the middle of eating.

I am not quite sure why, but Obi-Wan thinks that the exhaustion is necessary and practical – after all, if I can build up endurance now, then when I need to do so I can do it without falling over and passing out. At least, that is once again _his_ theory.

And once again, I do not agree.

I mean, if I'm in danger and need to do it, that will trigger my ability as self-defense and I won't get exhausted because the Force will act through me.

But Obi-Wan still insists that I practice.

And so I do for him. But I worry that one day I might hurt him if I go too far or lose control. Obi-Wan is my mate, but even that might not be enough to protect him. If a mate turns on a Walker, after all, the gift will turn on that mate and harm them to protect the Walker. It will hurt the Walker to do so and thankfully it has never happened before as the Force orchestrates these life-bonds very carefully, but it can be done.

Lady Elizabeth has not commented on my attempts, so I do not know if it has ever been done before – and if it was ever successful. Hopefully, if it ever grows dangerous, she will let me know.

Hopefully.

Because sometimes, Lady Elizabeth teaches more by giving the test first and the lesson afterward and this is one lesson I do not want to learn.

**Entry:**  
I feel absolutely horrible.

In other words, Obi-Wan's theory was horribly wrong.

It's been almost a week into our experiments, and he thought I could go further – this time, to draw the energy from the Force itself rather than from the life around me. He thought I had the control to be able to.

I didn't.

My gift turned on him, and all the barriers he set into place didn't work. And when Qui-Gon tried to interfere, the gift began to drain him as well.

I almost had killed the both of them when Lady Elizabeth interfered and forcibly rendered me unconsciousness. I am not quite sure how, but I imagine her skills as a true Walker aided her. I can venture a guess though, as her original gift _was_ the ability to interfere with body systems. I assume, therefore, that she simply shut off my ability to touch the Force and forced me into unconsciousness.

But in any case, that move very well saved not only my life, but also Obi-Wan's and Qui-Gon's.

Qui-Gon has already recovered. Tahl tends to him now, and Anakin, and the healers assure me that he will be completely fine. He just needs time to regain the energy I stole from him, that is all.

Obi-Wan, on the other hand, has not yet risen.

On the advice of Lady Elizabeth, I have not yet seen him. She has warned me that my gift is activated now, and if it activates again even she may not be enough to turn it off. And so I must wait until he awakes and comes to see me.

So I wait. And feel my guilt accumulate with each passing second.

At least, if this mistake costs Obi-Wan his life, I won't live much longer than him.

**Entry:**  
He survived. Thank the Force, he survived.

**Entry:**  
Obi-Wan has completely recovered, but at least he does not insist that we resume stretching out my control. I think it has only just dawned on him just how instinctive my gift really is – and how deadly it can be. He is thankful for some of that; it has kept me alive in some very dangerous situations, after all.

I just wish I hadn't nearly killed him with it.

Lady Elizabeth has, for the time, muted my gift. It leaves me defenseless for a bit, but better I be defenseless for a while than to attack someone else by mistake.

I train a lot more under her now. She is a Walker too, and she knows more about my abilities and limits than even I do. I think this incident finally told her that I was growing too powerful to hold off training. She had given me the free time to readjust to my new life, to give me a break. But now the break is over, and the training begins.

It is hard, training under her. From what I gather, in the old days, an apprentice Walker lived with the Lord Father or Lady Mother in their universe and learned the skills in the physical world before returning home to apply the skills there.

I do not have that advantage.

For example, I can't really use the Force to practice my skills in the netherworld of the Force. So I need to return to the corporeal world and practice and wait for her to approve or not approve.

It is tiring, constantly zipping back and forth between the real world and the netherworld, but it is the only way I can train.

Thankfully, not all of my training involves Force techniques or exercises.

Some of it is actually mainly listening to stories. At first, I dutifully memorized them without really understanding why she told me seemingly random stories – some of which weren't even real stories about other Walkers, just made-up stuff.

Later, I realized the truth.

Walkers learn these stories because they teach us the lessons we need to learn. The stories aren't always just stories. And besides, Walkers are as old as some of these stories and are part of them; to forget them would be to forget the heritage of the order I belong to.

And some stories mean more than others.

One, I ponder a lot.

It is the story of Drakale's fall from the light.

Lady Elizabeth had already told me a brief version, but afterwards she told me a more detailed version – how they met, how he had to work for years before she agreed to train him (just like a Jedi youngling must train for years before a Master chooses them), how he grew and became her greatest pride. And later, how he became her greatest failure.

But Drakale's is not the only story she tells.

My Lady Mother trained other apprentices, too. Some went on to work great changes. Others worked smaller, quieter miracles within their own universes. And some, unfortunately, never achieved their full potential.

However, there is one story that interests me greatly.

It is a legend of sorts, one that speaks of reincarnation. It is the legend of the White Lady, supposedly the first female Walker ever who, most unfortunately, met a tragic end. She is said to be reincarnated every thousand lifetimes (that is, after 1000 new Walkers have been born) and is said to seek her true mate – the Black Lord. They are the true epitome of the star-crossed lovers of our order, two Walkers whom the Force bound together as true soulmates – but unfortunately were so powerful that the Force decreed that they would forever be separated as the destiny of the universes was set in stone. And so they seek each other each time they are reborn in a new Walker, but they know not what they seek save that they are different from everyone else and will always be different.

It is the saddest legend of all. Even the ending is not enough to deter that.

The ending is that one day they will be reunited and rest in death, and the imbalance of the Walkers shall be ended, and all shall be free to finally choose their own destiny.

Funny, how similar that legend is to the duty I must fulfill.

**Entry:**  
Ha! I finally beat Obi-Wan in a duel _without_ using my gift!

Thank the Force he isn't here now, or he'd be sulking. Or tickling me until I was laughing so hard that I wouldn't be able to talk.

But in any case – because Lady Elizabeth had muted my gift, I thought it prudent to take advantage and settle the score once and for all. We all know I can easily beat Obi-Wan with the gift – I can beat almost anyone then – but he always argued that without it, his skill would prove superior to mine. Obviously, we had never before had the chance to test it out.

I stuck to Makashi for this duel; Obi-Wan took Ataru and Soresu.

On a normal day, I might use those two as well, but if we dueled with the same forms then the test would be of our endurance and not really of our skill.

I think Obi-Wan has forgotten just how dedicated to lightsaber dueling Makashi is – and how good of a teacher Master Dooku is.

And he paid for it.

It took us almost three hours, but in the end I finally managed to catch him when he did an overhead leap. I knocked the blade from his hands – I think I accidentally singed it too, actually – and then I had him. I guess he just underestimated my mobility in my second-to-worst form, but there was no way that I was using Vaapad against him.

Of course, that doesn't mean I'm completely superior to him. His mastery of Ataru and Soresu is far greater than my own, and despite the fact that I know other forms, that doesn't mean I'm perfect at them.

My only true advantage is my overwhelming strength in the Force.

That is it.

I know that Obi-Wan knows this. Almost everyone knows this. But it is nice to remind them once in a while that I can still wield a blade as well as manipulate the Force.

And it is nice to have something to rub in his face for once.

The only issue?

Master Dooku was watching.

And I am quite sure that by tomorrow he will have a whole list of things I did improperly and will work me to the bone to correct them. Never mind that I'm already exhausted from beating Obi-Wan.

**Entry:**  
Oh yeah.

Dooku worked my _butt_ off.

Too exhausted to say anything more.

**Entry:**  
When Obi-Wan came in frowning and rubbing his forehead and Anakin bounced in with a gigantic smile on his face, I knew something was off.

Not _bad_ off, mind; just different.

And I was certainly right.

The Council has decided to reopen the pilot program they had closed down when Obi-Wan was a Padawan.

I am not quite sure what motivated this decision. The Council has always disapproved of the Jedi become more like a military; we are keepers of the peace, not soldiers. The soldiers are the clone units from Kamino, which serve now as the Republic's military/defense force and help do the normal patrol duties so that the Jedi can focus on specialized missions.

And yet now they are authorizing us to do this.

I mean, in the past, every Jedi has learned how to pilot a ship, how to tinker with engines, how to bypass security. But that's beside the point.

Putting aside an entire fleet for us to learn with?

That is very, very new.

But that was not what had Obi-Wan lying in bed with a troubled expression on his face. He could have very easily accepted with this new development; actually, he might have even sent Aurora to learn under it.

No, what had him so troubled is that apparently the Council has asked Anakin and him to lead the program.

I had to laugh at that. Obi-Wan absolutely _hates_ flying. Or rather, as he is quick to remind me, he hates flying when Anakin is the pilot. But in any case, I know that he will be regretting that he agreed within a week.

And – hey, cut it out!

_Obi-Wan:_ And _that_ is what I call revenge.

Well, cut it out, will you? You're hurting my hair.

_Obi-Wan:_ And now you are faking it, my love.

No, it actually hurts.

_Obi-Wan:_ Liar.

How'd you guess?

So . . . obviously, Obi-Wan is not thrilled that I'm talking about him here. Maybe I should talk less about today and more about what happened during the party –

_Obi-Wan:_ I can hear you, you know.

Yes. And?

_Obi-Wan:_ Never mind. Are you coming to bed soon?

(sigh) I'm coming, I'm coming.

**Entry:**  
So . . . my turn for a surprise.

Obi-Wan has already been with the pilot program for only two weeks, and today he gave his first report to the Council with some suggestions and requests. And one of those requests, I just found out, is that I join him.

His reason is logical – as a Jedi in the frontlines of the Clone Wars, I learned a lot of fighting strategies and maneuvers that don't exist in this universe yet. But since the Council is taking the proactive approach, he feels that I should come and demonstrate those moves and tactics so that the Jedi are prepared should something happen.

But he knows, and I know, and I suspect a few others have guessed, that his wanting me to be there is more than just the logic.

He is my husband, after all, and if he made every judgment based on logic I would go ballistic.

I have arranged for Aurora to stay for a time with Tahl and Qui-Gon. Thankfully, my daughter understands – and besides, she has inherited her father's dislike of flying.

And so tomorrow, I leave for the program. Obi-Wan is to meet me, and I must say that I will be quite glad to see him again. Two weeks isn't a lot of time, but for someone like me who has lived in a war, each second is precious.

And each second with Obi-Wan?

Priceless.

[end of journal entries for Kya Ranor]


	3. Chapter 1

**_Chapter One_**

~ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ ~  
When I walked into the bedroom and there was no one there, I smiled. Clearing my throat, I raised my voice and said, "Practicing with Lady Elizabeth again?"

There was no answer, and I pretended to frown.

"Kya. . ."

A choked laugh sounded through the Force at my words. Then the air seemed to shimmer as Kya allowed herself to become visible again, releasing the shield that had cloaked her from my eyes – both in the corporeal world and the Force. And then she flung herself at me with enough force to send us both crashing to the floor.

After my heart stopped pounding, I said, "Thought so."

Kya pretended to pout. "And here I thought I was getting better at making myself small," she said with a sigh.

I stroked her hair. "You are getting better," I reassured her. "I just know you too well."

She sighed.

"How did they do?" I asked after a moment.

She shrugged as she pulled away and sat up. "Better than I did when I first learned," was her only comment.

"Kya. . ."

"Okay, they did a lot better than I did when I first learned."

"Kya!"

She burst out laughing at my disapproving look and exasperated tone. "Ha! I win!" she crowed, her sapphire eyes alight with triumph.

"Not yet."

"What do you – "

She yelped in surprise when I gathered the Force around me and flew at her. But she was a Jedi too; by the time I made contact, she was ready for me. So it turned into more of a wrestling match than I had intended. But that worked out for me – physically, I had the advantage in strength over her. And I knew she was wary of using the Force against me, for fear of triggering her gift as she had once.

So, basically, the wrestling match actually worked out for me.

Despite her resistance, I managed to grab her and pick her up – and then dump her unceremoniously on the bed.

As I had predicted, her reflexes had her trying to counter and eventually forcing me to fall with her.

I allowed myself to fall, careful not to hurt her, but making sure that she was effectively trapped beneath me. She had practically orchestrated her own prison, then.

"Who won again?" I asked, grinning down at her as my fingers tightened over her wrists.

She glared at me and tried to shove at my shoulders, but I didn't budge. Here too I had the advantage – not only was I stronger, but I was also heavier than her. If she wanted to move me, either I would have to let her move me or she would have to call on the Force.

I knew she wasn't going to call on the Force.

"Let me up!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," I chided. "Not quite the answer to the question."

"Obi-Wan!"

I grinned innocently at her. "Yes?"

"_Let me go_."

Each syllable was emphasized and underscored by the quiet danger in her tone – but I was her mate. I knew that she was merely annoyed, not truly angry yet. If she was angry, I would have sensed it; while Kya might be able to hide her anger from even our daughter, she would not be able to hide it from me. As I would not be able to hide it from her.

"Not until you answer."

"Fine! You . . . won. Now let me up!"

Smirking, I leaned down to kiss her gently, relaxing but not completely releasing my grip on her wrists. "That wasn't hard, now was it?" I teased.

A flash of confusion appeared in her eyes. She pushed at my arms, but I still didn't let go of her.

"Obi-Wan, I said _let me go_," she ordered.

I shifted. "Not quite yet. . ." I murmured, trailing my lips over her forehead.

"What are you doing?"

"Surely you would have noticed, my love, that I merely asked the question – I did not say I would release you if you answered."

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
"Now, tell me what's bothering you."

I jumped and looked at Obi-Wan, startled by his words. He merely smiled, toying with strands of my hair and waiting for my reply.

I turned over his actions in my head. How he had walked in and immediately begun teasing me. How he had teased me some more until he had distracted me completely. And then how he had taken me, gently and lovingly and reassuringly as he always had.

There had been a reason – I just hadn't seen it then.

Sheesh. He was good at this.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" I accused.

He lifted his hands in surrender. "I'm not saying I didn't." Then his eyes softened. "But I thought it might help with whatever is bothering you," he added quietly.

I groaned and let my head fall back to where it was resting on his bare chest. "You do know me too well."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

I didn't reply to his words. I didn't need to. He and I both knew that this was just small talk – time for me to gather my thoughts so I could answer. I was grateful that he knew me well enough to know when to give me time; to be honest, I needed it.

Finally, I blew out a breath and started talking. "I'm not sure. I just . . . I don't know," I admitted. "I just feel . . . strange."

I sensed Obi-Wan frown, his hand stilling in my hair. "What do you mean?" he asked worriedly.

"Not in a bad way," I hastily reassured him, raising my eyes to meet his. "Just . . . strange."

He tilted his head. "Like something's going to happen?"

I blinked. "Yes. . . Well, sort of."

"Hmm. I've been feeling the same for a while now. I thought I was just worried about the pilot program. But if you are feeling the same as well. . ." He trailed off momentarily, his eyes growing distant. Then they snapped back to me. His other hand moved, and I felt it rest against my stomach, warm skin against warm skin. "Could it be – "

I was shaking my head before he even stopped speaking. "It can't be. I sense nothing."

"Neither do I," he said with a sigh.

"Why, were you hoping for it?" I asked curiously. We had Aurora, and I knew she had shown no signs of wanting a sibling. And as far as I had seen, Obi-Wan had also shown no signs of preferring to have another child either. We slept together, yes, but out of love – not out of the desire for conception. Then again, Obi-Wan was rather hard to read, even for me.

His unreadable blue-green eyes locked with mine. "Only if you wanted one," he answered enigmatically.

I frowned. "Would you just give me a straight answer?"

He laughed, hugging me closer. "To be honest, Kya? I don't really care either way. If we have another son or daughter – that's great. And if not, that's just as great." He brushed at my hair gently. "And you?"

I hesitated. "I'm not sure how to say this. . ."

"Just answer," he urged.

"Fine. But don't laugh at me," I warned.

"Why would I?"

I sighed. "Forget it." I paused a moment to recollect my thoughts. Finally, slowly, I said, "I think . . . I think I do want another child. I just . . . I mean, I was never much of a mother – to either Aurora or Winter. I guess I just want another chance."

He cupped my face with gentle hands, forcing me to look at him. "You are not perfect, my love," he said gently. "No mother is. You did the best you could in trying circumstances."

"Perhaps," I said reluctantly. "But I still want another chance."

"What are you hoping for, then?" he asked.

It occurred to me then that Obi-Wan and I had never discussed this aspect of our relationship. Perhaps because I had become pregnant in the early stages. Perhaps because everything had been so rushed then as we fought against Sidious. Or perhaps because we were tangled in the power that new, young, strong love has and could not focus on the future.

But in any case, we never had.

"I think . . . I think a boy and a girl," I answered. "I want to raise a girl; I want Aurora to have a sister, like she was supposed to. And I want a boy – he can be a little you and remind me of how much you've aged."

"Hey!" he exclaimed indignantly. "Play fair!"

I laughed into his chest so hard that my whole body shook, and eventually his indignation crumbled and he laughed too.

When we finally quieted, a thoughtful frown appeared on his face.

"What is it?"

His frown deepened as he looked at me. "Kya. . . You don't _look_ like you've aged much; the Force has seen to that. But your body has. Bearing twins the first time nearly killed you. Are you sure that you could handle bearing two more, twins or no?"

"The first time I was only sixteen; my body was barely developed. And I didn't even know," I argued. "If it happens again, I _will_ know and there will be healers to help me."

"I don't know, Kya. . . I don't want things to go wrong," he said in a hushed tone, enfolding me within the security of his embrace.

"They won't. The Force will help."

He sighed, pressing a kiss to the crown of my head. "Very well," he conceded. "I won't fight you on this. But don't blame me if I go crazy when something goes wrong."

"You _always_ go crazy. It's what I love about you," I remarked lightly.

He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Okay, sometimes it drives me up the wall," I relented. "But it's still something I can appreciate after I've thought it over."

"Perhaps," he murmured.

I eyed him, surprised at his reticence. "Are you sure about this, Obi-Wan?" I asked uneasily. As my mate, his responsibility was to protect me above all else. If he was nervous, perhaps the Force was sending me a warning message.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

"You know what I mean."

He shook his head. "It's not the Force," he reassured me. "It's just me being overprotective as usual."

"Are you sure?"

"_Yes_." He shifted to lie on his side, pulling me closer. "Now sleep."

"Yes, General Kenobi," I muttered sourly. I rested my head against his chest, feeling the warm rumble as he chuckled and kissed me again. "What a life I have, being ordered around by my husband."

Obi-Wan didn't answer verbally, but I could sense his smile and feel the affection radiating across our bond.

He and I both knew, after all, that I was just joking.

I had a great life. I had my daughter; there was no war; and I was able to live my life without fearing about hiding my affection for my husband. In other words, I had my family, I had the Jedi, and I had peace. What more could I ask for, really?

I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, safe within the embrace of my Obi-Wan.


	4. Chapter 2

**_Chapter Two_**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
"All fighters, check in," I said into the headset.

Immediately, voices came through in response to my command. They weren't in order, of course, but by formation. The leaders, who were generally Knights, always reported first. Wingmates were generally either freshly made Knights who were interested in the program or senior Padawans ready to being the Trials very soon who had been recommended to join the program.

"Red 4 standing by."

_Garen Muln._ He had been one of the pilots in the original program. He was a Knight now, of course; that was why he was one of the formation leaders.

"Red 7 standing by."

_Siri Tachi._ Another successful Knight, who had once been Obi-Wan's love interest many years ago. Of course, they had both moved on since then, and Siri and I got along rather well now that I was free to disclose my secrets.

"Red Leader standing by."

_Obi-Wan._ I smiled. The Council had given him the same designation as he had had in my memories – the same designation of the Master Kenobi who had been my Master, that is. Of course, they didn't know that. I still hadn't confided in them the truth about who my Master had been, and I was starting to doubt that I ever would. I confused the Council enough as I was. There was no need to shove more confusing information down their throats.

"Lock foils in attack positions," I ordered, swiveling to the main command screen.

There was no need for the rest of the squadrons to report in; the formation leaders didn't report in until they had checked left and right – or, sometimes up and down – for their wingmates. Besides, with my screens, I could see all nine yellow blips on the screen. Everyone was in position and ready to run the gauntlet.

The Force surged, and for a second my hands froze over the commands. Presences flashed into the Force, like brilliant stars bursting into life. Strength and power flowed into the Force – into me.

_Kya!_

And then I was back in my command chair, the echoes of Obi-Wan's voice bouncing around in my brain.

I swallowed hard. Despite my growing power and strenuous training, I still sometimes fell prey to the lure of the Force. For all my power, it was one of my greatest weaknesses. And a constant reminder of why it was so important for me to remain close to Obi-Wan.

_Thanks, Obi-Wan._

The bond surged with affection before Obi-Wan returned his attention back to the situation at hand.

The surge in the Force had affected all of us, I knew. Some of the wingmates were a little unsteady at the moment; their courses weren't quite as smooth as the leaders. But then again, they were new to this.

"All fighters," I said, "what you just experienced is called a Force-meld. It is used to combine the powers of all the Jedi in the area, allowing them to fight as one. It also allows strength, power, and knowledge to be shared without boundaries. Therefore, they become a far more effective force than even all the Jedi alone – and almost impossible to defeat, no matter who or what they face. However . . . for it to work, everyone must be in agreement. Any fighting or disagreement, and the meld will break down. You'd be surprised how fast it will deteriorate."

There was silence after that. The leaders already knew about all of this. Now, I just had to wait for it to sink in for everyone else.

"Red 2 understands."

"Red 6 understands."

After that, when all the acknowledgements had rolled in, I said, "All right, enough with orientation. Time to get to work. I'm assuming everyone's ready, so here we go. Enemies will be outlined in blue."

And I flicked it on.

~ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ ~  
"Well done," I said, startling Kya so much that she jumped.

"Obi-Wan, I . . . Don't scare me like that!" she scolded, shoving at me.

I laughed and slipped my arms around her waist. "Not my fault if you weren't paying attention," I replied.

Our battle had run its entire course already. We weren't using real fighters, of course; all of this was a simulation. A rather expensive one, though, as it had to be maintained in a special environment and required plenty of tech experts to help it run smoothly. And the system had had to be specially tweaked for us, as Jedi – thanks to the Force – were not prone to make the casual mistakes of regular people. We weren't fooled by false enemy maneuvers and had excellent, split-second reflexes. Therefore, special scenarios had been inserted and special problems dreamed up especially for the Jedi fighter corps. Otherwise, how else were we to learn and be challenged while learning?

Not that we were really being challenged yet. Kya was still relearning how to direct everything and we were all still getting used to everything. So it was a bit of trial-and-error all around before we actually graduated to using actual fighters.

However, it was all still in a test phase. The Council was still trying to determine if it was all worth it. I had been placed in charge of the entire program, with Anakin as the director of mechanics (and, unofficially, responsible for the recruitment) while Kya was in charge of the different scenarios, as out of all of us, she was the only one who really knew what a Force meld felt like and how battles ran.

"Well, stop distracting me now. I'm trying to figure out what went wrong."

I sighed, but I released her and stood by her side. "And hopefully, what went right," I put in, summoning a chair with a wave of my hand and the Force and sitting next to her and she plopped back into her own chair.

"Overall," Kya said slowly, her sapphire eyes pouring over the results simulation, "the simulation went rather well, but . . . I don't know. Something went wrong. Something just felt wrong. I'm not sure if it was the meld or something else that went wrong. . . I just know something went wrong."

"Could it just be the technology?" I suggested.

Her eyes snapped to me. _Obi-Wan_, she said warning, _you shouldn't say that out loud. If the Senators hear about this. . . You're already getting enough pressure from them._

"I'll be fine," I said without thinking, my instinctive reflex to reassure her taking priority above all else. And then a suspicion rose within me at how she had said that. "Kya, what do you mean by that?"

She didn't say anything or move, but I could see how tension suddenly appeared in her. Very carefully was how she moved around the charts now. I could see that my words had hit something – and hit it right on too.

I reached over and took her hand. "Kya . . . What is it?"

She sighed, still not looking at me. "You have enough on your hands already. . ."

_Kya_, I said gently, reaching for the bond now and knowing my words would have a greater impact there. _Don't hold back, my love. What is it? Just tell me. I can't help if I don't know the problem._

Finally, Kya turned and looked straight at me. "Obi-Wan. . . In truth, there _is_ a problem. The simulations . . . I have issues with them. I can't really control the enemy fighters. That's why everyone's been finding the situations too easy. I can't direct them as they truly would fight; at best, I can only sit back and put them on autopilot."

I frowned. _No wonder. . . _I had never seen Kya in space combat, but I had dueled her and she was a fierce fighter. I had always thought that the simulations were a bit tame for her, but never had I suspected. . .

"The simulations are flawed, then?" When she nodded, I said, "I'll have to speak to the Senators and see – "

"See what?" bellowed a loud voice from behind us. "See what, General Kenobi?"

I stood up, turning with narrowed eyes to find Senator Bron behind us. He was a corpulent, sour-faced man with his own – and very large – entourage of aides and everything else he felt he needed to have. He was also one of the Senators I didn't really get along with no matter what the issue or occasion. Unfortunately, he was also one of the Senators who had helped put a lot of funding into the pilot program.

His eyes landed on Kya, halfway through rising in her chair, and immediately his whole demeanor turned smooth.

"Ah, Knight Ranor," he said, obviously in what he thought was a pleasant tone, bustling over to her. "You need not stand for me. Here, let me – "

Kya's eyes flickered once to me, and I immediately extended my hand, which she took.

"Senator Bron," she replied courteously as she moved to my side.

He stopped, his pleasant expression turning a little sour as he noted how close Kya moved to stand to me.

"Thank you for coming today," she continued. "My husband was just about to look for you. However, I am afraid that I have some pressing business with the Jedi High Council that I must attend to. I bid you good day."

I let her hand slide out of my own. _Nice excuse_, I told her. "Yes, and you are almost late," I scolded teasingly.

"Hush." But I saw how her lips quirked up in the small smile only I had ever seen from her.

At the door, she stopped and turned around as if she had forgotten something and only just remembered. "Oh, and Senator Bron. . ."

He turned to her, an eager, almost greedy expression on his face. "Yes, Knight Ranor? How can I be of service to you?"

Kya's expression didn't change, but I felt the shift into coolness in her aura. "Senator Bron, you need not be so intimate to me. May I remind the Senator that I am married. Which reminds me of something, Senator; my name is no longer Knight Ranor. I am Knight Kenobi now, as you should very well know. Good day."

I smiled at my love's declaration and turned my attention to Senator Bron. No doubt I would need all the happiness at her spunk to deal with this one.

~_ Kya Ranor_ ~  
"He's absolutely ridiculous!"

I was startled by the ferocity of Obi-Wan's statement. He was older now than when we had first met, and in that time he had learned to deal with politicians and wield diplomacy to its best effect. There weren't many Senators who could get past his cool mask and truly annoy him. Especially since in the worst of times I could always feel his emotions across the bond and calm him before things got out of hand and words came out of his mouth.

However, in terms of Senator Bron, I had thought it best to leave as quickly as possible. The Senator didn't seem to get my message that I was not going to leave Obi-Wan.

If anything, that was probably the only reason why the Senator was the only one to be able to truly annoy Obi-Wan. And that was also probably the reason why Obi-Wan so angry. It wasn't his Jedi persona coming out now; it was his instinct as my mate. He saw the man as a threat, not only to him but also to me, and he was acting against it to protect us.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a reason for Obi-Wan to get really angry.

I put my hand on his shoulder. "What happened?"

"He refuses to see that there is any problem. And he continually changes the subject to deal with you."

"He's always been like this. Why are you so upset this time?"

"I don't know! But he's being completely out of hand. He – He refuses to do anything. He won't even speak to the panel about examining the technology. He says that we Jedi are too _inexperienced_ with these sort of things."

"Doesn't he know I am the one who stated there was a problem?"

"No."

I sighed and let my arms slide around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder blades and sensing the tension in his body. He really was angry; no wonder he was trying to hide it by facing away from me. He was trying, again, to protect me – this time, from getting angry as well over the slights the Senator had dealt him.

"Let me speak to him," I murmured.

"No, Kya."

"Obi-Wan, I can deal with him."

Obi-Wan turned around then, his blue-green eyes filled with wariness. "I don't like to think of you alone with him," he said, his arms pulling me close against him. "That man is cunning and underhanded."

"He won't hurt me."

"He'd better not," he growled.

I put my hand against his face. "Obi-Wan, please; think rationally. I will be fine. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the first to know – I promise."

He sighed. "I don't know. . ."

"Ben."

For the first time, I called him by the nickname I had used for my old Master in the years of our exile and hiding after Order 66. Obi-Wan, of course, didn't know its true significance to me as he still didn't know who my old Master had been, but he knew it meant a great deal to me. He also knew that I rarely used it, and only when we were alone together.

"Very well," he surrendered. "I will wait for you."

I leaned forward and kissed him. "I won't fail."

~ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ ~  
It was almost midnight when Kya slipped into our bed and curled into my arms, exhausted and half-asleep, but I was still completely awake. Immediately, I let my arms slide around her protectively and draw her close. She didn't protest, simply pressing herself closer to me and settling beside me as she always did, seeking protection in sleep, when she was at her most vulnerable and I was most responsible for her safety.

"Are you all right?" I murmured into her hair.

"I'm fine. Just tired," she said, closing her eyes as her body relaxed against mine.

I sighed. "How bad was it?"

Even half-asleep, I could sense her annoyance. "He's bad," she sighed. "You were right." She pressed her face into my chest. "I wish you had been there."

"I told you."

But there wasn't any punch or even any teasing behind my words. I was far too relieved to have Kya back and safe within my embrace. And Kya was far too sleepy and annoyed to fight back at the moment. Besides, we understood each other completely.

I kissed her gently. "Get some sleep, my love. We can talk further in the morning. Hopefully, you will be more awake then."

"Be quiet, Kenobi."

And then I knew that she really was fine.


	5. Chapter 3

**_Chapter Three_**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
"All fighters, prepare yourselves," Obi-Wan said through the headset, grinning at me as I sat down.

_Morning, sleepyhead_, he said teasingly through the bond, leaning over and kissing me on the cheek. _Are you finally awake or still waking up?_

"Be quiet, Kenobi," I muttered, flicking on the navicomputer and beginning to choose coordinates.

Senator Bron had yielded to my arguments (with the help of the Force, of course) and so now we were finally past the test phase and into our first real space maneuvers. Today, as a trial, we were going to have them learn one of the techniques I had learned in my first days in the cockpit – tracking an enemy into hyperspace without the equipment. After all, false data could easily be broadcast. They had to learn to really trust in what the Force told them.

After, of course, they figured out how to do it in the first place.

Obi-Wan reached over and placed his hand over mine. _So . . . where should we drag them to first?_

Not many enemies could use the Force to hide the location, but I was powerful enough and trained in the skill. Besides, even if we had whispered, the other Jedi would have been able to make a very good guess.

_Hmm . . ._

I was very tempted to reach out to the Force and let it guide me – but with the Jedi meld engaged already, most likely I'd be drawn in or they'd draw me in and then they'd definitely know what place I chose. So I was back to guessing blind like a normal person.

_Alderaan?_ I suggested. It was a peaceful planet; not many Jedi had ever been there.

His eyebrow rose, and I knew at once that he knew the reason I had chosen Alderaan. The _personal_ reason. But he didn't comment.

_You or me?_

I grinned, whirling my chair back the navicomputer, and punched in the coordinates. _You, Master Kenobi. Obviously. I'm the one who chose it, so if they send a probe at me when I speak out. . . _

He sighed. "You're getting revenge on me for my sleepyhead comment, aren't you?"

"Well . . ." I thought about it for a moment. Or, at least, _pretended_ to think about it for a moment. "Well, yes, when you put it like that."

Obi-Wan sighed, and stood and shut off the comm and grabbed me and pulled me up in a single fluid motion. Before I could protest or even question him, he crushed me to his chest and kissed me passionately enough to make every thought of revenge simply just . . . go floating right out of my head. And to my horror, I found myself leaning into it, kissing him back and silently pleading for more.

A feeling of airiness, of release, of pure freedom swept through my body, as if I was floating on a soft cloud high in the heavens and didn't need to worry about breathing or the Force or anything else. Just him.

He released me, slowly, and chuckled. "How about now?"

"Cheat," I breathed in an accusing tone, leaning back for another one without thinking.

He evaded me, holding me at arm's length, and laughing at my disappointed look. "Not now, my love," he said, chuckling. "Have you forgotten everything?"

I turned it over in my head, pondering his words – and scowled at him, the feeling of freedom vanishing abruptly as I thought about its mysterious appearance in my system. It certainly wasn't normal, especially for me. _Force suggestion?_

He shook his head, his arms coiling around me. _No. . . Just magnifying the effect I have on you_, he said teasingly.

I sniffed, turning my head away. _Trickster._

_Hey._ He grabbed my waist and dragged me back to him as I tried to wriggle free. _Just a second. Come back here._ Ignoring my struggles as if they were nothing, he yanked me around and kissed me again. But gently this time. There was no free-flying sensation, no burst of passion, no floating of thoughts. . . Just him, and me, and the love we shared – the love that bound us, mind and soul and body, as mates.

When it was over, he looked at me, blue-green eyes clear and unrepentant. "Better?" he asked softly, brushing at my hair.

I blew out a heavy breath. "Manipulator."

A wave of mischievous surfaced in the bond, and a sly grin crawled across his face. _Not yet. I'll wait for tonight for – _

"_Obi-Wan Kenobi!_"

We both jumped as the comm turned on, springing apart instinctively with several people shouting.

"When you're done seducing your wife," one of them – Garen – said pointedly, "can we at least _try_ to get move on around here?"

I grinned back at Obi-Wan's stunned expression. "Looks like you'll just have to wait," I teased, finally managing to slip out of his arms and get back to my seat.

"Right," I said to Garen as Obi-Wan sighed in irritation behind me, leaned down to kiss my hair once, and moved to his own seat. "Let's get going. Everyone ready to get started? Hyperspace in one . . . two . . . _three_!"

~ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ ~  
Two jumps later, and the Jedi still hadn't gotten the hang of the trick yet. Alderaan had taken them about nearly three quarters of an hour; Yavin IV, about twenty minutes. As soon as half the squadron was in, we'd report on the time and then rev the engines. When the last fighter popped out, we made our jump . . . and then waited, and waited, and waited some more.

It was getting boring, honestly.

Now we sat idly in space, orbiting Sullust.

I sighed. _This is taking a lot longer than I thought._

Kya yawned lightly, stretching like a cat in my arms. _Because they've never felt the desperation to do it_, she explained. _When I first did it, I was tracking an enemy – Ventress. It was a big thing if we caught her, so I was desperate and eager and confident. And the Force helped. They don't have that; they're doing it and wondering why in the worlds they are._

_True. . . It didn't seem so hard to me, though._

She twisted in my arms to face me, one eyebrow raised. _Of course not_, she remarked. _You have a special bond with me. Even silenced, there is always that little remaining thread._

I stared at her with a small smile on my face, pulling her closer. _And thank the Force for that. I can't and won't ever lose you._

She snuggled against me, warm and safe within my embrace. With my ascension to Jedi Master being considered, Kya being consulted as a special advisor to the Jedi Council, this new pilot program, and trying to train Aurora, our alone time was growing increasingly sparse – nights (or a few hours, more like) snatched here and there.

A surge in the Force made me stiffen suddenly. "Finally!" I exclaimed without thinking.

Kya's head whipped up and around – and sure enough, two fighters had just dropped out of hyperspace, one right after another. I felt her reach out to the Force, and then she sighed. "It's Garen and Siri," she said, disappointment in her tone.

My gaze flickered to the chrono. "Ten minutes," I decided. "Getting better."

"I wish they all were."

After five more minutes, everyone had dropped in. I reached out and used the Force to activate the comm, which opened with a click as silence fell and the pilot stopped chatting. As I spoke, Kya and I both made a conscious effort to reach out in the Force to the meld to better broadcast what we were saying.

"Very nicely done," I said sincerely. "We'll do one last jump and call it a day, shall we? Oh – and whoever's last gets to put away all the dishes for dinner."

Kya smacked me. _Obi-Wan!_

_What?_ I asked, unrepentant as I looked down at her. _They need some excitement. And you said earlier they needed motivation, desperation – a challenge. Here they go._

She sighed, but it was a relenting sound. But my logic was sound. After all, we were all full grown Jedi. We ate _a lot_. This threat would create a lot of motivation and might just be exactly the kind of push in the right direction they needed.

"So," I asked her as she slid off my lap, "where to now?"

"Hoth," she answered after a second.

I quirked an eyebrow at her. "The system or the planet?" I questioned, activating the navicomputer for her.

She gave me a dirty look. I knew the reason why she was choosing these places, of course, so I was just teasing her.

Alderaan – the planet the Death Star had blown up back in her home universe. As such, she loved seeing that planet, still intact and glowing white and green and blue against the dark of space – to her, it was clear evidence of a tragedy averted. Unfortunately, it had also been orbiting that planet (or what was left of it) where her old Master had been killed by the Sith, so she tended to grow silent and sad as she watched.

Yavin VI – the place where the Rebel Alliance had succeeded in blowing up the Death Star, an exceedingly powerful victory for them. It had also been the place where she had chosen to join the Alliance and reveal the Empire that one Jedi still was alive, still remembered what had been and what had happened, and still was working to defeat the Sith.

Even Sullust – it was where Kya had fled the fleet after realizing the Empire knew exactly who she was, to protect those she had been tasked to. Unfortunately, not long afterwards, the Empire had tracked her down, seized her, and proceeded to torture her for information.

That thought still made me angry.

But Hoth . . . I wondered why she had chosen Hoth. The Rebel base there had fallen, yes, but she had played little part. As she had fled before the Sith had come, there was little that concerned her there.

However, I would humor her. There were still things that haunted Kya, ghosts that she hadn't yet dealt with, secrets she still carried deep within her. I didn't pry, though; she would share them when she was ready. I would wait for her, as I always had and always would. After all, only _she_ would know when she was ready.

"Let's go," I said.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
"Coming out soon," Obi-Wan announced. "We're almost there." He shot me a half smile. "How long do you think it'll take them this time?"

"I vote hopefully soon. I want to go home and sleep."

He chuckled softly and leaned over to kiss me. "I second that." Then he went back to forming up the report for the Council.

When the timer counted down, I brushed the lever. It was mainly touch-sensitive, and the Force moved with me, so I didn't really ever need to push hard. Besides, this was a new ship, right off the line with all the new technological equipment – and a lot of tinkering done by Anakin, of course. He just hadn't been able to resist, and Obi-Wan had given up trying to stop him nowadays.

But two minutes later, I noticed something was wrong.

I could still see the starlines, glowing a blurry yet brilliant white, outside . . . but we should have already come out of hyperspace.

Whirling around, I grabbed the lever and yanked it this time.

Nothing happened.

"Obi-Wan?"

"What?" he asked absentmindedly.

I found it suddenly hard to breathe, much less speak. Even my words sounded faint and unclear to my ears. "Aren't we supposed to be coming out of hyperspace about now?"

Obi-Wan nodded once, and then looked up at me and saw the expression on my face. Dropping his datapad, he swiveled around and seized the lever. I could tell he was putting all of his strength behind the move when this time he yanked it down and held it down.

Nothing happened. We couldn't even hear the engine beginning to sputter and kick in.

Something was terribly wrong.

"I get no readings," I said, fumbling with the control panel. "There's nothing wrong, except – "

The entire ship suddenly shuddered violently, as though we had just escaped a tractor beam, and the Force surged with enormous power, as if a thousand voices had suddenly cried out and been silenced . . . all at once. The starlines burst into multicolored lanes of light – bright red, gleaming orange, shining yellow, rippling green, brilliant blue, radiant purple, stunning white, mysterious black, and a thousand other colors that dazzled my eyes.

And then we suddenly dropped out of hyperspace.

Right on a collision course.


	6. Chapter 4

**_Chapter Four_**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
I was thrown against my restraints when Obi-Wan seized the controls and allowed us to merely brush the fighter coming straight at us. My head snapped forward, and when I recovered, slamming back against the chair as inertia kicked in, I could taste blood in my mouth. I swallowed the salty, bitter taste – I must have bitten my tongue or something.

Obi-Wan wasn't much better; blood was dripping down from his forehead from a cut there. He had been thrown forward enough to slam his head into the control panel. As I watched, he swiped at the blood to keep his field of vision clean.

"Are you all right?" he asked shortly.

"Fine. What was that?" As I spoke, I looked around for the small black fighter. It didn't look like something the Jedi would use.

"I was about to ask you the same." His voice was tense, as was his body, his eyes darting in every direction; his instinct as a mate to protect me was beginning to override his normal Jedi calm, which was starting to scare me.

Obi-Wan's instinct as a mate had never activated because of a brush with space traffic.

No, something was wrong – really wrong.

Instinctively, I reached out to the Force . . . and I gasped. The Force was dark, poisoned, clouded. It hadn't been like this in _years_. _What is blazes is going on?_

Panic set in. I closed my eyes and let the Force fill me completely – a simple trick, something I had done before, such as when I entered or created a Jedi meld. But here . . . here it was dark and clouded. . . This wasn't right. This wasn't right _at all_. With a gasp, I cut myself off – this was too dark, too poisoned for me. I couldn't deal with it; already, my head was beginning to pound and my vision to spin and blur.

Perhaps he sensed my panic, because he risked a glance at me. "Kya, what is it?" he asked urgently, fear and concern tumbling over each other in his tone. He was worried, really worried, enough to let it show.

I started to answer just as the Force flashed in warning.

"Obi-Wan, look out!"

The fighter was back. Green lasers spat at us as the fighter fired, and the Force surged as Obi-Wan used it to guide his reflexes, allowing us to dodge each blast as the angry fighter chased us.

I stared at it. "No . . . It can't be . . . It can't be . . ."

It was a TIE fighter.

~ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ ~  
When I heard Kya whisper, ""No . . . It can't be . . . It can't be . . ." I knew something was terribly wrong.

But when she actually unbuckled her restraints, stood up, and moved to look directly through the viewport to get a better look, I knew she was pushing the limits. The way we were moving just didn't allow for something like that to be done safely.

"Kya! Get back!" I ordered, using the Force to enforce my command.

However, I couldn't do much more than that; my hands and eyes were full just trying to dodge this very angry fighter – who, unfortunately, had good aim.

She ignored me.

"_Kya!_"

She whirled around, her sapphire eyes wild as she stared at me. "Obi-Wan, this is a TIE fighter! They don't exist at home! They were never created!"

"What?"

Her words were just babbling to me; I couldn't process them. Too much was going on, and nothing made any sense.

"They are used by the Empire, Obi-Wan! They were created – "

I had looked away too long.

With a high-pitched, mind-numbing, explosive screech, we slammed head-on into the fighter.

I pitched forwards – my head, hands, and upper body slammed into the console again with ten times the force of before, and this time I heard a sickening _snap_. Something was broken. There was a volatile _boom_ and I knew then that something had exploded. Then we went careening in circles, and my head went flying into the seat and this time I blacked out.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
Finally, the ship stopped spinning around.

I'd lost track of how many times it had down that.

I couldn't even remember, really, what had happened. All I remembered was flying backwards, screaming, and then slamming into a hard wall and then blinding pain had exploded all around me, like I was on fire. . . And the Force screaming as someone died and Obi-Wan's presence flaring like a light before going out abruptly and the fiery pain, consuming me and sending me into darkness. . .

I slowly forced my eyes open. Every part of me hurt, but no more so than my head. Gingerly, I felt for it . . . and a warm stickiness coated my fingers.

_Sithspit. . . Blood. . . I must have at least a minor concussion. . ._

I struggled to sit up, to look for Obi-Wan, to figure out what was going on – but I couldn't even muster the strength to try. My muscles seemed to have turned to mush, and they wouldn't cooperate. Even my thoughts were scattered and mushy.

Something entered my brain . . . a faint hissing noise. . .

I inhaled deeply, wincing as my torso flared with pain. _A cracked rib. Even better. . ._ But as I inhaled, it seemed . . . harder, somehow, to do. Filling my lungs was hard. I seemed to have to literally _drag_ the air into them, and it seemed thin and just not enough to keep things going on.

My vision flickered alarmingly, and things started gaining a red tint to them.

Alarm bells went off. _Oxygen! We're losing it!_

Even with the Force, we couldn't live long enough without it. And I didn't have the strength to send myself into a hibernation trance to stave off death.

I struggled to reach for the Force, but it felt like I was swimming through mud. I was slow, weak, struggling.

And then I heard a groan.

~ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ ~  
I ripped away my restraints, calling on the Force all the while for help, for strength, for control – but my movements were achingly sluggish and clumsy. I had lost blood, a lot of it, and my body was reacting to it. I knew I only had moments to act and protect Kya and myself from succumbing to it – and ultimately dying.

It was the only thought that gave me strength to ignore the pain.

When I got out, I half stumbled and half crawled to Kya's side. She lay in an ever-growing pool of blood; her dark hair was now shining darkly with it. Her gaze was faint and almost disorientated; she wouldn't remain conscious for much longer.

_Obi-Wan. . . The oxygen . . . _

Even through our bond, her voice was weak and strained and filled with pain.

I touched her cheek. _Can you reach the Force?_ I asked. If she couldn't, there was almost no way I could save her. I was no healer, and my own connection was weak now. Even at my best, saving her would be questionable.

_Yes . . . But . . . Obi-Wan . . . the oxygen . . . _

There was desperation now, as if she was pushing aside all of her injuries.

I frowned. _What?_ But too slowly, things started clicking. The pain in my chest, as though someone was squeezing too tightly on it; the immense pressure on my lungs, so strange in when the artificial gravity was on; the feeling of having to breathe so deeply just to get some relief and the air my lungs were crying out for. . .

Oxygen was leaking. Our hull was punctured somewhere, and there was no way we could repair it. Not in our state.

_Do you have the strength?_

She couldn't even answer, which was a clear answer for me.

I put my hand on her forehead, closing my eyes and concentrating. If I failed, she would die and I would die too. And then everything she had ever worked for – all the suffering, all the pain, all the training – would be in vain, would be for nothing. This _had_ to work, it just had to.

Kya's body relaxed suddenly, her breath hissing out and then pausing. Her eyes fluttered closed, her jaw slackened, and her muscles relaxed completely as the hibernation trance took hold.

I fainted.

When I recovered, I find myself lying beside her. I had managed to send her into a trance, but it had cost me dearly. Now I had to try to do the same for myself.

But first . . . while I had the strength and was conscious . . .

I forced myself to sit up, and then to stand, and then to stumble a step forward. And then another step. And then one more. But halfway to the emergency tracker beacon, which when set off would have broadcast our emergency and location to any Jedi in the area, my vision turned red and I fell face down, unable to even think of walking.

With one last desperate deep breath, I forced myself to relax, retreating into in my mind so completely that even though I was still awake, my body went slack and limp as I lost control over it and the trance truly kicked in.

But before I truly lost everything hold on myself, I spun the Force into one last desperate act.

_Anakin!_

Then darkness claimed me.

Across the galaxy, a young man with sandy blonde hair and pale blue eyes jerked awake aboard a Rebel Alliance transport heading to the base on Hoth with supplies.

Even further away on Coruscant, a Sith – middle-aged, badly burned, and encased in a black box of a suit – paused in his mediation.

And deep in the netherworld of the Force, someone started laughing.


	7. Chapter 5

Yeah . . . sorry for the really depressing bit in the last two chapters. And please, no laughing at my descriptions of the Old Republic's symbol and the Jedi Order's symbol. I'm not good at this, but I can't insert a pic. . .

* * *

**_Chapter Five_**

**3 ABY**

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
"Are you sure about this, Luke?"

He tossed me an annoyed look over his shoulder – a miraculous feat, considering the bulky vac suits we were all wearing. But we had to wear them, as there wasn't enough oxygen on this ship to, in Han's words, "keep a ship rat alive" and much less a whole team of Rebel fighters.

"Definitely sure," he replied. "I felt it."

"What if whoever . . . called . . . is dead?" Han put in.

Luke shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm going to keep looking until I find whoever called me like that."

Han sighed.

We had almost gotten to Hoth when Luke had burst into the command center and demanded we come out of hyperspace. He claimed he had received a call for help in the Force – something only a Jedi could do. And it being Luke and the theory containing Jedi, he had persisted and insisted and argued until Alliance command had thrown their hands up and given in. As long as we took a big team, they gave us the go ahead and threatened to thrash him within an inch of his life if something went wrong.

When we had dropped out, we had come across a wreckage of a collision between a ship and what remained of a TIE fighter. Both were in pieces, although the ship was in pieces where someone could actually survive.

That had helped somewhat. No Imperial fighter would deliberately ram into another one.

But as I had surveyed it, I had begun doubting if anyone was really alive. It looked so . . . _formidable_. Like, only a supernatural person could have survived.

"Leia! Han!"

I followed Luke's shout into the cockpit – and stopped dead. Han had halted seconds before me, and I barely avoided running into him. I wondered why he had stopped as I peered around him, curious as to why Luke had shouted.

And then I realized what was wrong.

Two people lay prone and still on the floor, not moving and seemingly not even breathing. Blood pooled around them, and it was even spattered on the wall, control panel, chairs and floor. They had obviously been thrown around quite a lot, and then I really began to doubt they had survived.

Luke was crouched by the woman's side.

She was middle-aged, I saw; she must have been only five to ten years older than me. Her face was shockingly pale, a contrast to her dark hair and the brilliant red blood around her. She was dressed in the oddest assortment of clothes too – cream tunics, beige pants, dark brown boots, brown cloak, utility belt with more odd stuff on it.

But that wasn't what had caught Luke's attention.

"Look," he said shakily as he stood.

A silver metal cylinder glinted in his outstretched hand, something he had taken from the woman's belt.

A lightsaber.

I gasped. So the woman _was_ a Jedi.

"What . . . What about him?" I asked, my voice breaking in the middle.

In answer, Han eased the man on to his back.

The man was older than the woman, at least by a few years if not more than that. His face was pale too, but more so because of the blood around him and over his face than because of his chestnut brown hair. He was dressed exactly like the woman – although with a brown layer under the cream tunics – and on his belt glinted another lightsaber.

They were _both_ Jedi.

The med team was over in a flash and set at once to examine the bodies and determine how and when they had died.

"Hey, Princess," Han said from where he stood by the console. "What's this?"

He was pointing to three strange symbols engraved in the control panel that were arranged in a triangle of symbols. One looked like a wheel – an outer circle with a blackened circle in the middle with spokes and splashes of black between the spokes. Another symbol lay next to it – two wings on the wide split into three feathery sections that curved upwards and a small pillar that shrunk as it grew upwards with a star in the middle of it. The last symbol, which lay above both of the other symbols, was the simplest – a small sun and moon, held together by a silvery thread that made up a circle.

"Impossible," I whispered. "That . . . That's the symbol for the Old Republic."

Han shot me a startled look, but before he could comment, a shout rose from behind us.

"Unbelievable!" a med tech exclaimed. "Princess – Commander Skywalker – Captain Solo – _they're alive_!"

"_What?_" we all shouted.

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
Through the window, Alliance command and the rest of us stared at the two who so soundly had confounded all of us.

The technicians had been right – despite their appearance, despite their environment, despite _common sense_, the man and the woman had been alive. Their hearts still beat, only faintly; they still drew breath, only rarely and shallowly. They were still alive.

They were now connected to lots of monitors that were pumping liquid, nutrients, and oxygen into them. They had already been submerged in bacta quite a few times, so at least the blood was gone from them. But they still hadn't woken up, and showed no signs of stirring from the state they were in. It was like they were hovering between death and life.

"That's impossible. They should be dead," Carlist Rieekan declared, looking at the report.

I was brimming with excitement. "No, they're Jedi," I explained patiently, for about the fifth time. "It's called a hibernation trance – when a Jedi sinks so deeply into their mind that only a certain code phrase can snap them out. Or when the Jedi _chooses_ to come out. It practically puts them in suspended animation."

"How did you find them?"

Leia spoke up. "Luke said he'd heard something in the Force – a call of sorts. So we decided to check it out."

"And you found . . . _this_?" he asked, gesturing at the bodies visible in the window.

She nodded.

"What motivated you to . . . follow . . . this call?" he asked.

I lifted my chin. "I trust the Force, and I trust what Ben Kenobi taught me," I said staunchly. "And the Force didn't lie to me; we found _Jedi_. Alive Jedi."

General Rieekan sighed and cast away the report. "And what proves that they're really Jedi and not just spies?"

I pointed to the lightsabers. "I can feel the echoes of their Force-signatures in them," I said. "The lightsabers belong to them. They were built by them."

"You're not a full Jedi, Skywalker," he said dryly.

"They survived _that_!" I exclaimed. "What further evidence is needed that they are Jedi?"

Rieekan stood. "A lot more." He turned to Leia. "Keep far away from them, Princess, just in case. And make sure they are always restrained somehow. Even when they're in bacta, I want some kind of restraint on them so we can take them down if they attack."

My jaw dropped. "That could kill them!"

"Yes, well – even if they aren't spies, they are going to be disoriented if and when they wake up. I don't want them attacking us. We won't give them the chance."

I slumped into a chair as he swept out. _My one real chance to meet a real Jedi, and it's going out the window if I can't change his mind_, I thought glumly. Yeah, old Ben had been a Jedi – but he was old. The days when he was a real Jedi had been long ago.

"Luke?"

I looked up to see Leia there.

"Are you all right?' she asked, concerned.

I sighed. "Fine. Just . . . I really want to meet these Jedi. I know they're Jedi, I just do. No one else could have survived that. And these lightsabers – " I leaned forward and grabbed the woman's. "They are real too."

I could feel the faint echoes of the Force-signature in the hilt, and warmth. The woman had held this lightsaber, and recently. But briefly, for the signature was too faint for me to try and read the power that was contained within it.

The man's, on the other hand, was cold. He hadn't touched it in a while.

But the hilts were still beautifully crafted, as unique and different as the one I carried with me – my father's.

I was dying to activate them and see just how powerful they were, but the hilt didn't fit in my hand. It wasn't crafted for me. And I felt it would be impolite to use them without the owner's consent.

Leia sat down. "Luke, how powerful are they? For real?"

I frowned and reached out to the Force . . . but it slipped away. They were too deep in their trances, and I was still too young and inexperienced to be able to touch them. I couldn't do it; I didn't have the knowledge or training to do that kind of thing. Maybe Ben could have, but I wasn't Ben. I wasn't even half as good as him.

"I can't tell," I admitted. "They are really deep in the trance. And with their power, they could probably conceal such things from me. They don't seem like apprentices." I sighed again. "I wish . . . I wish Ben was here."

Leia reached out and touched my hand. "You'll be fine, Luke. We'll figure this out."

I managed a small smile at her. "Thanks, Leia."

Behind us, the Force surged once.

And the man's eyes opened.

~ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ ~  
I opened my eyes and was almost immediately blinded by the brilliant white light. Without thinking, I immediately called on the Force to help my eyes adjust.

A tremor of excitement passed through the Force as I did so, which confused me.

_Who was that?_

It wasn't any Force-signature I recognized.

Slowly, I pushed myself to a sitting position, batting away at all of the cords and such around me. I didn't need any fluids or medicine or nutrients. I was fine. The Force had shielded me and kept me alive. That was all I needed. Besides, there was nothing a healing trance couldn't fix.

I tasted bacta on my tongue and frowned. _Well, that's odd. . . We must have really been injured if Bant just didn't stick us in a healing trance. . ._

And then I remembered Kya.

Whirling, I reached out for the bond – and found her in the bed next to mine, still and pale.

I leaped out of bed and ran to her side, lifting her in my arms and cradling her close. As I desperately called her name, I consciously made an effort to contact her across the bond – but she kept slipping away from.

She was deep in her trance – almost too deep.

And I felt fear.

Then there was an explosion of sound and people poured into the med wing. I frowned. They were all pointing a wide range of weapons at me, as though I was a threat. And there – there was a general's insignia on that man's chest, but I didn't know him and he clearly didn't know me.

_What is going on?_

Instinctively, I shifted to shield Kya from view and aim. If they were going to kill her, they would have to get over my dead body first.

I cursed under my breath when I realized my lightsaber was nowhere in sight. And yet . . . if they knew what a lightsaber meant to a Jedi . . . why hadn't they given me a Force-inhibitor? It made no sense.

Two young people pushed their way next to the general – a man and a woman, both clad in thick clothes of light shades.

Shock spread through my body as I looked at them.

_She . . . She looks _exactly_ like Padmé! And the boy – he looked like Anakin!_

The boy and I spoke at exactly the same time, with the same words, with the same mix of curiosity and wariness in our tones and postures.

"Who are you?"


	8. Chapter 6

**_Chapter Six_**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
I woke to find myself back in the land of swirling mist, and I sighed.

_Back here again._

A warm laugh sounded nearby, and I sat up and turned to find Lady Elizabeth, sitting next to me. Her silver clothes gleamed against the backdrop of coiling mist, illuminating the metal hilt hanging from her sash and highlighting the bright golden color of her hair and contrasting her warm blue eyes.

I knew her, perhaps, as well as she knew herself. She was my Lady Mother – my teacher, my mother, my best friend.

After all, we both belonged to the same society.

We were both Walkers, members of an ancient society that existed, ruled, and kept the peace long before the Jedi Order. We were also extremely powerful – even more powerful than our Jedi counterparts in many ways. However, that power came at a heavy cost. For one, it meant our enemies were even stronger than the Sith Lords and could wreak a great deal more havoc. For another, it meant our greatest weakness and the key to our power was also far more devastating than any Jedi weakness like arrogance – our mates, the other half of our souls, our lovers, who grounded us to earth, life, and sanity. Without them, we were lost . . . to death, to the dark, to insanity, to everything we could not be saved from.

As time passed, our time came and went, and the Jedi took our place. Universes settled into their straightforward, unyielding futures, unable to bend and twist and change as they had under the hands of the Walkers.

I could change that. I was the last Walker alive now, for Lady Elizabeth had long passed into the netherworld of the Force.

I could change it all. I could allow universes to follow whatever path they chose. I could allow people the freedom to truly _choose_ their own destinies, whether it be light or dark, rather than everything being set in stone. I could revive my order and see it back to its former glory alongside the Jedi Order. I could bring peace, not only to my home, but to all universes. I could live in happiness and peace with my family.

I could gain that – this precious vision of what I could do.

Or I could lose it all.

My Lady Mother smiled at me. "How are you, my daughter?" she asked, her voice soft yet ringing with power.

That's how she always was. Looks were deceiving, and she definitely was. But I had learned long ago that her slender frame and gentle looks and soft voice concealed a power that, combined with her years of knowledge and formal training, made her among the deadliest people I'd ever met.

I rubbed at my head. "Fine. Well, I have a little headache, but other than that. . ."

"Hmm." She surveyed me for a quick second. "You're better than I thought you would be, what with the collision and all. . . But it served its purpose. You are now on Hoth in the Rebel base situated there."

"Hoth?" I stammered. "But there's – there's no Rebel base on . . . on . . . Oh no."

She nodded gravely. "Oh, yes, my dear." She straightened, crossing her legs in a Jedi meditation stance and motioning for me to do the same.

"I remember that I told you once that to succeed, you would have to bring balance to three universes," she began. "You have already brought balance to one – your home, now, as I understand. But now you must bring balance to others. Two years have passed, two years for training and healing and spending time with your family. I think that you are ready now. This is your second challenge, to begin on Hoth. And I must warn you that it will be more dangerous and more difficult than your last one."

I sighed. "What is it this time? No, wait, one thing first – why is Obi-Wan with me?"

"You will need him. Trust me." She leaned forward, smiling gently, when I frowned and crossed my arms. "My daughter, you cannot do everything alone – even though I know you wish to. Let him help you," she advised.

"What is he helping me do?"

My Lady Mother flicked her hand almost absently, and three silver strands materialized between us, floating and crisscrossing and swirling around. As she named them, one at a time they slithered over to me and wrapped around my wrist, sealing seamlessly.

"Firstly, you must assure that Luke and Leia are rejoined at Bespin and taken safely to the fleet – _without_ injury. Secondly, you must make sure they understand who they are – you know what I mean by that – and ensure that you tell them personally, but when no one else is listening. Lastly and most importantly, you must do as you have done before and help Anakin choose the light again before it is too late."

She paused as the last silver strand twisted around my wrist.

"I realize it is a lot to ask, but I have no choice," she finished quietly, apologetically.

I shrugged. "I am the last. Of course I get the most paperwork," I joked. Then I sobered. "Do you really think it'll be that dangerous for me, Lady Mother?"

She sighed. "I can't tell. But with each universe, it gets harder to right them and to survive. This is as much as test of you as a duty."

"Brilliant," I grumbled. "And Obi-Wan gets dragged into it, of course."

"By the end of this, more people than your mate will become part of this," my Lady Mother said grimly. "A great deal more."

"What do you mean?" I asked warily. "Obi-Wan is my mate, so it is proper, but who else?"

She eyed me almost sadly. "More than you know."

I swallowed nervously. Even risking Obi-Wan was a rather scary thought to me – but then again, he _was_ my soulmate. But still . . . who else could I possibly drag into this? Jedi weren't allowed to be here unless specifically summoned and I never would do that, Anakin had already righted his destiny in my home, the Sith were long gone. . . Who else?

My Lady Mother touched my hand. "Enough. You must focus on the present for now, my daughter, and surviving that present."

"Right." I shook myself. I could worry about this later. "How much do Luke and Leia know about . . . about their family? Where are they? And where is . . . where is the real Kenobi?"

She didn't even blink. "Nothing, of course. They are on Hoth now, at the Rebel base; the Imperial droids will find them soon enough. And the real Obi-Wan Kenobi of that universe has been dead for three years; he will cause little interference to your mate, if any."

"Ah."

I remembered those years almost vividly; with Luke and Leia together and my old Master dead, I had spent a lot more time and effort trying to keep them safe and away from the Empire. It hadn't been easy. But thankfully Luke had had no time to press me about his father . . . although, now that I looked back on it, I wasn't even sure Luke had even known that I had known Anakin Skywalker. And Leia, of course, had no idea at all. The fact that I had spent all those years with her when she was younger only made her less likely to press me for answers.

"I can see you have no trouble remembering," she commented quietly.

I sighed. "Jedi remembering techniques are still ingrained in me. I needed it . . . for the war."

My Lady Mother reached out and held my shoulder. "You still hurt, my daughter," she observed. "Why have you not let your mate help you?"

I shrugged her hand away. "Obi-Wan's already pained by my suffering enough," I said shortly. "And he has his own burdens to deal with. I don't want to add to that."

"You aren't his burden. He _chose_ to accept you as his mate. Therefore, he chose to accept the duties that are his concerning you."

"Still . . ."

She held up a hand. "Enough. I see that you still have problems to work out. But let me advise you not to block your mate out. He can help you. He was _meant_ to help you – they always are. And perhaps along the way you'll find that your burdens are his as much as his are yours."

My Lady Mother stood, brushing at her dress absently. "I can give you one last piece of advice, my daughter, and this is it – Do not try to solve this universe as you acted last time. Things never happen the same way twice."

I nodded. "I understand."

"And know this," she warned. "I cannot help you at all, especially if you chose to confront Sidious and Vader."

"Oh. I see."

It wasn't a really big blow. . . My Lady Mother hadn't really helped the last time either. But it would be a little less comforting to know that I could count on no help from my order. I would have to do this all by myself . . . a test of my ability. _Wonderful._

Obi-Wan was a great help, but he wasn't a Walker. He was bound and hindered by different things than I was.

In the end, I would have to do this all alone.

"Kya."

Jolted out of my thoughts, I stared at her. She hadn't called me by my name since we had first met. If she was now, it meant she was going to tell me something very serious.

"Kya, there is one more thing you should now." She hesitated. "Ancient forces are stirring – forces that can match even the might of our order. Do not underestimate _anyone_. Sometimes even your vision will be clouded, and your mate's power will not be enough. Always, always, always keep your eyes open for every little detail. Even ancient forces slip, and you must be able to see that slip to know what you are dealing with."

I was startled by the emotions in her speech. She had never expressed doubt in me before. I had dealt with an ancient force before, and I had survived.

Besides, I doubted I would _ever_ forget the sense I had gotten from the Creature.

She glanced at me. "I do not doubt you. I'm just . . . worried. You're young for a Walker to be doing things like this."

"I won't let you down."

She smiled with a touch of exasperation and sadness. "Sometimes I don't know whether to thank or yell at Master Kenobi for ingraining such things in you. . ."

"Thank him, please."

My Lady Mother hugged me gently. "Now, return to the real world," she whispered.

At her words, the Force surged, stunning me. My eyes snapped shut reflexively and my muscles relaxed against my will as the silver mist rushed to encircle and cocoon me. I felt like I was falling – but whether it was up or down, I couldn't tell. There was a heart-stopping _halt_, and then wind blew around me and stars were glittering and the Force was singing with energy . . . and then it was over.

I opened my eyes to find myself tucked protectively against my mate's side.

And immediately alarm rushed into me.

Obi-Wan was completely tense at my side, his arms forming a tight and secure cage around me, his body a shield against whoever was beyond me. He was well into the fight-or-flight stage; I could feel the power of his emotions and the power of the Force coiled around us.

It was a measure of just how tense he was that he didn't sense me awake.

Deliberately, I shifted just enough to sit up and peer around him. _Hmm._ They were lots of Rebels in front of us, all with weapons pointing at us. No wonder Obi-Wan was upset.

Obi-Wan's head snapped to me when I moved. "Kya?"

Instinctively, I rested my head against his chest, letting my eyes flicker deliberately between him and the Rebels. _What's going on?_ I asked curiously. _What set them off?_

His shoulders rose and fell, so subtly only I knew and only because I could feel his muscles moving. _I woke up, I guess. I can tell they don't know who we are. And I have no idea who _they_ are either._

_They're members of the Rebel Alliance_, I told him. _Relax._

He snorted. _Relax when they're threatening to kill me and my wife. Sure. Great advice._

I smiled into his chest. _Overprotective._

_If it keeps you safe. . ._

I pulled away, facing the Rebels. Sure enough, Luke Skywalker was watching us with a puzzled yet excited expression on his face. I knew he could feel the power of the Force around us, and I knew he was curious about our origin.

_Best to defuse the situation now before it turns ugly_, I decided. Besides, without our lightsabers, we would reveal more of our abilities than I would like to if it deteriorated into a fight.

And then my stomach heaved threateningly, and the diplomacy was history.


	9. Chapter 7

**_Chapter Seven_**

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
Pity stirred inside of me as the woman vomited. Even if she was an assassin or a spy, no doubt she wasn't feeling too good right now. Perhaps it had been a reaction to the sedatives.

But then I saw how the man placed one hand on her back gently, as though he feared he would break her, and the other on her stomach. Concern had long replaced the determination and wariness he had surveyed us with. Spy or not, he had genuine feelings for the woman. It was a strange quality for a spy, though. . .

Unless he was faking it.

But something told me he wasn't faking it – he couldn't be faking this. Perhaps it was how he had shielded her unconscious body earlier. Perhaps it was how he now crouched protectively beside her, supporting her without the least flicker of disgust. Or perhaps it was how, when her stomach stopped heaving, he pulled her against him and murmured softly into her hair.

The woman shook her head once in response, pressing her face into his shoulder with a sigh. His arms tightened around her, briefly, before she pulled away.

Then she stood, a bit shakily, as he rose silently next to her. Her eyes were a piercing sapphire blue, and it took all of my royal training to be able to meet them. It felt like she was seeing the depths of my very soul.

"Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan," she said suddenly. Her voice contained the faintest trace of a Core accent, quite different from the prominent clipped and educated Coruscanti accent the man had. "Commander Luke Skywalker. General Carlist Rieekan. Finally we meet . . . again."

The man glanced down at her, a trace of amusement in his eyes, and his arm snaked around her waist to hold her close to him.

"Again?" General Rieekan echoed.

The woman smiled. "Perhaps you don't remember me. But I didn't expect you to. I was just a Padawan Learner during the Clone Wars, after all."

"A _Padawan_?" General Rieekan exclaimed, startled. I had no idea what the term meant or signified, but apparently he did – and apparently, it meant a great deal. "A _Jedi Padawan_?"

The woman laughed. "Last I checked, the term 'Padawan' does refer – "

"So you are a Jedi?" Luke interrupted eagerly.

It was now the woman's turn to glance up, amused, at the man.

"We both are Jedi," the man said by way of reply.

For some reason, his voice provoked strong memories within me – but of what, I could not tell. I had the oddest feeling that I should know him, though, as if I was a student taking an exam that I knew I should know the answer to yet was drawing a total blank.

Luke was looking like his birthday had come early.

Surprise decorated the faces of the rebels around us, even transforming General Rieekan's face.

But I only felt skepticism in the wake of their announcement. Surely they would have revealed themselves sooner if they really were Jedi?

"Prove it."

The words were out of my mouth before I had even considered them fully. General Rieekan looked sharply at me, unused to my lack of diplomacy, but he didn't speak.

Displeasure sullied the man's face. "The Force is not meant for frivolous displays," he warned. "We are Jedi Knights, not circus performers."

"You were _once_ Jedi," I corrected, "who failed to protect the Republic."

The man's eyes flashed, and he made to step forward.

The woman's hand flew up so quickly I could barely believe it. One moment it was resting innocently at her side; the next, it was gripping the man's arm. Her lips moved, so briefly I couldn't even begin to guess what she said. Whatever she said, she didn't even look at him.

And whatever it was, it made the man back down.

The woman looked at me, her eyes solemn. "So long as breath remains in us," she said softly, her voice filling the entire room, "the Old Republic still stands. As does the Jedi Order."

Silence filled the room after that.

There was no way I could contradict her. Or perhaps I just didn't have to heart to.

The woman's eyes narrowed. "Do not think yourself better than us, Your Highness, simply because you feel the Jedi Order failed the Old Republic," she told me. "We are not the only ones who failed to see. Your father stands among those who also failed to see."

"My father acted," I snapped.

"As did we," she retorted. "Or have you forgotten that he should have been arrested by the Order for his actions? Do you really think that the Delegation of 2000 and the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic went unnoticed by the Jedi Order? Did you really think that you could fool us?" She paused, her sapphire eyes glittering strangely. "I see that you have forgotten what we are capable of."

Her hand flickered upwards once more.

And then the whole room started shaking.

~ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ ~  
I tensed by Kya's side as she called upon the Force. This kind of thing took a lot of concentration and energy, and I was displeased that she chose to waste it on such a trivial thing. But nonetheless, I was going to make sure nothing happened to her.

_Relax, Obi-Wan._

I frowned. _It's not that easy, Kya._

Around us, things began levitating as Kya exerted the full power of the Force on them. As a Walker, it was a child's display of power for her to do this, but I knew it would be significant enough to remind everyone around us that the Jedi were more than just people with flashy swords. And it would leave me free to defend her if they panicked and tried to attack.

Kya could, of course, easily defend herself. But by doing so, she would reveal a great deal of her power, and we both wanted that to be the secret weapon up her sleeve.

A captain, standing next to Princess Leia, cracked first.

The safety shot forward, and he raised his blaster to aim straight at Kya's heart.

Kya stilled at once, her eyes focused on him, the objects hovering in the air and no longer moving.

She was waiting for him to decide what to do.

I drew the Force to me, using it to wrap around us in a thick shield. I doubted we would use it, but it would be nice to do it now just in case things didn't dissolve into a fight. If it did . . . then we'd be too busying fighting to need a Force-shield.

Then General Rieekan said loudly, "Stand down. They're Jedi, all right."

I frowned and sent a tendril of a probe towards him. _Hmm. He's a touch Force-sensitive himself_, I realized.

Kya dropped her hand, and the objects returned to the ground. "I wondered how long it would take before you remembered," she said gently. "Though I doubt you'll ever remember me; my Master worked hard to keep me safe . . . and out of the spotlight."

The general approached us. "A wise decision, if you were just a mere apprentice," he remarked. "What is your name?"

"Am I to assume, then, that we have found the Rebel Alliance's base?" I cut in, wanting to know more before we revealed ourselves.

The general halted warily. "What is it to you?"

Kya's eyes flickered once to me, her slight frown warning me to be careful. We had to gain trust, not cautiousness. We could not do – _she_ could do not – what had to be done with hesitant and wary people around.

"We wish to join it. But to do that, I fear we'll need to find it first," I said simply.

"Why did you wait so long before revealing yourselves, then?" Princess Leia demanded, stepping to the general's side. "The Alliance could have used you long before now. But you waited. So why?"

I tightened my fingers on her hand; that was the only sign of my displeasure that I allowed to surface. Kya leaned against me even more, allowing me to curve my body protectively around her – a silent show of faith, to remind me that she trusted me and that it was natural for these people to not trust me.

"We had no wish to provoke Vader into seeking to bring the full power of the Empire down upon your heads," Kya replied evenly, without a hint of disapproval in her tone, merely explanation and calm. "Any knowledge of Jedi would have made him regard the Alliance as a total threat – and you know that back then, with or without Jedi, you would not have survived if he saw you as that. So we waited until the time was right. Vader has been humiliated by you in the Battle of Yavin. His desperation to find us and prove that the he and Emperor remain in control will work to your advantage."

The princess didn't seem happy with that reasoning, but it was logical.

"Can you help me?"

The young man – I had forgotten what Kya had called him – had joined us. He looked almost _exactly_ like Anakin, actually. . . Disturbing alike, as though they were twin brothers or something. He had the pale blue eyes, the dark blond hair, the open and curious expression. . . It was all there. He couldn't be more than twenty or so years old.

Kya turned to him with a smile. "With . . . Ah." She looked him up and down. "You look exactly like your father, Luke Skywalker."

I barely was able to keep my expression blank. _His _son_? _This_ is Anakin's son?_

_Yes._

Kya answered my question without even glancing my way. It irritated and pleased me, in a way. I was irritated because normally she would have looked at me, smiled at me, answered me out loud and I would have pulled her into my arms. But I was pleased that our connection as mates was becoming closer and closer – close enough that she could sense what I was broadcasting when I didn't _intend_ to broadcast. I didn't know much about Force-connections, but I knew it was good sign.

Luke started. "You knew my father?" he exclaimed eagerly. "How?"

"I served in the Clone Wars," she reminded him. "Anakin Skywalker, the Hero With No Fear, was a great general then. I learned a lot from him. And . . . And I suppose you'd like me to teach you the tricks your father taught me."

The boy's face lit up. "Would you? Old Ben was only able to teach me so much, and – "

The smile vanished abruptly from Kya's face, and she sagged slightly against me. "What was that?"

"Old Ben," the boy repeated.

Kya's eyes closed, and I felt her misery increase suddenly before she breathed it out. Whoever this person was, he had meant a lot to her.

"So he's dead then," she murmured, and I wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or to us.

Luke looked at her with surprise. "You knew him?"

Kya opened her eyes, gazing at him with a resigned sadness. "Yes. I did . . . once."

"Speaking of training," I interrupted, "now that we've proven we are Jedi, would you please consent to give our lightsabers back?"

"What are your names, first?" he asked.

I was tempted to summon my lightsaber to my hand and ignore him. I could feel it in the Force; it wasn't too far away. Neither was Kya's. A little Force-summoning and it would be here in an instant.

_Peace, Obi-Wan_, Kya counseled, a slight smile in her tone. _Trust is earned slowly. Remember how long it took for you to trust me when we first met?_

_Yes, but this . . . this is different._

_Not really._

"My name is Kya Ranor," she answered.

Princess Leia started, staring at Kya as though she'd never seen her clearly before. "Ranor?" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I am from Alderaan," Kya answered, the unspoken question hanging in the air. "My mother survived long enough to give birth to me before she died in that crash. And the Jedi Order found me not long afterward."

I let my affection for her swell across the bond, knowing she would need it. Kya had never known her parents, but she still mourned them and the lives that had been cut short. The Force had given her life, and power, and love, but her parents had been the vessel of the Force to do so. And for that, she was eternally grateful.

She leaned slightly into me, the only sign of acknowledgment, but it was enough for me.

"I heard about that. You have my condolences, Jedi Ranor," the general said quietly, compassion in his gaze.

"It was a long time ago," Kya said evasively.

I stepped in, seeking to move the conversation on. Now was not the time to dwell on past sorrows. Especially when it concerned Kya.

"And I am Ben Kenobi."

The name slipped from my lips so easily, but it startled me. I had intended to introduce myself as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Besides, why would I have chosen the name "Ben"? It was Kya's . . . well, her nickname for me, not something I went by myself.

But then I felt Kya withdraw slightly from our bond, and a sudden suspicion grew in me.

A suspicion that would have to be addressed later.

Luke Skywalker leaped into the conversation, eyes narrowed. "Ben Kenobi is dead," he declared.

"No, he isn't," Kya objected.

And once again, words slipped from my lips without me being conscious of choosing them.

"You must be thinking of my brother," I explained, the tone matter-of-fact. "Obi-Wan Kenobi is dead – Darth Vader killed him, yes? He is – _was_ my brother. _I_ am Ben Kenobi."


	10. Chapter 8

A/N: Just to keep things straight before we all get confused; from now on, I will differentiate the two Obi-Wans by name. The one I call "Obi-Wan" will be the one Alec Guinness portrayed. The one I call "Ben" will be Kya's mate. This is because the old Obi-Wan will appear (as he did in ESB) and I don't want to get them confused here and confuse everyone else. Also, since Kya introduced her mate as "Ben Kenobi" everyone else will call him Ben too. Just to warn everyone.

* * *

**_Chapter Eight_**

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
I stared at the man, wondering if he was mistaken – or just delusional.

But he didn't look at me; he was too busy glaring at General Rieekan, who had called over the Rebels and now had at least twenty blasters trained at them. Only I got the impression that he wasn't glaring at him because he had twenty blasters in his face; it was more because the twenty blasters were also pointed at the woman beside him.

The woman who faced the scene without a flicker of emotion on her face.

She was cold and regal and powerful, in a strange and haunting way. I got the feeling that if she wanted to kill me, she wouldn't even have to look at me to do it.

And not just her; the man as well, whose affection for her was obvious in the arm still wrapped around her waist.

"Ben Kenobi is dead," Leia declared, her voice wrathful. "You're a spy."

The woman's eyes flashed terrifyingly. "Watch your words, Leia Organa," she said, her voice as terrible as her eyes. "The House of Organa no longer stands thanks to them."

Leia flinched.

The man frowned at her, and I could feel the silent pulse in the Force between them. I made a mental note to ask them how it was possible – if they were really Jedi.

She sighed, but her face mellowed somewhat and her voice was a great deal calmer when she said, "We are not spies. I assure you, my name _is_ Kya Ranor, and he is Ben Kenobi. But Ben was less known – a great deal less known – than his brother, and we agreed that it would be the only way to protect Obi-Wan with the Empire and Vader on his trail. It was the only choice we had. Unfortunately, it also meant that we had to vanish, for there could not be two with the name Ben Kenobi. We felt Obi-Wan's death in the Force, so we thought it time to reveal ourselves. Our survival will cast doubt in the Empire, for Vader is so sure that he was perhaps one of the last Jedi actively able to resist. But now it is time to resist."

There was silence after her – Kya's – story, although I did catch the quick glance the man – Ben – flashed her.

"How can we be sure?" General Rieekan asked.

"You already decided that we were Jedi," Ben said, his voice reserved and calm, and remarkably similar to Old Ben's.

The general did not respond.

Kya sighed. "If you cannot trust in your observation that we are Jedi, then there is nothing more we can do," she pronounced. "We will not force help on those who refuse."

And she had actually parted from Ben and begun walking to the door, her back straight and her face impassive, before we had even started to process her words. Even Ben was a stride behind, a little late to catch on and his face easily expressing his surprise.

"Stop!" General Rieekan ordered.

But the Rebels parted to allow the Jedi through without a word, awed by the power the Jedi were putting through. The Force was allowing them to leave.

A thrill ran down my spine. _Even without weapons, Jedi are dangerous._ Now I understood what that meant.

And now I was all the more eager to learn from them.

"Wait."

Kya paused mid-stride. "Yes, General?"

"I . . . We misspoke. The Alliance will be happy to extend an invitation of welcome to you to join us." General Rieekan spoke slowly, as if he wasn't sure – or perhaps even regretted – what he was saying.

Kya turned, and for a second, she seemed a great deal older than she really was. Fatigue and stress marred her face briefly before her mask went back up.

"I hope you can learn to trust us. Otherwise, the Alliance will get nowhere," Kya said, her voice tired.

Then she turned her eyes to Leia. "And Princess Organa – rest assured, we are not spies. I worked with your father often as an apprentice, for he was one of our strongest advocates for peace during the war. We all suffered when Alderaan fell to the Death Star – but faint wishes will do nothing to bring him back."

I saw Leia flush slightly before inclining her head, the first sign of respect she had shown to them. "Yes . . . Jedi Ranor."

A hint of surprise flashed across Kya's face before she turned, finally, to me.

"As for you, Luke – I am not quite sure what Master Kenobi taught you, but you would do well to remember that even we cannot teach you all you need to learn. Nor are the secrets of our Order open to outsiders. There is much that you must learn, for there is a great deal you lack that we have that we cannot give to you."

"A proper Master would be best," Ben interjected, speaking for the first time directly to me.

"He will find his own when the time is right," she replied, her voice as calm as though she could read the future. "But for now, we will make do with what we have."

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
Ben placed a hand on my stomach. "Are you all right?"

I sighed, turning my head into his chest and grateful that Luke did not yet know about the Jedi rules concerning attachment. I did not want to be parted from Ben. Not now.

I had thought, once, that I would not grow accustomed to peace.

Now I could see that I had, for I felt confused and almost frightened by the clouded Force around me. Not scared, exactly; just nervous, and finding myself unused to being so constantly on guard and nervous. Jedi were trained to handle all situations, but then again, I wasn't a normal Jedi and I had not received normal training.

Ben seemed to handle it well, though; better, perhaps, than even me. And for that, and for his presence, I was extremely grateful.

"Yes," I said.

He continued to radiate concern. "What do you think happened?"

I shrugged. He had asked me a similar question in the beginning, but I had brushed it off in light of the situation, and so I proceeded to answer it now. "Well, I'm not pregnant, so . . . I'm not sure. Perhaps it is what always will happen. I didn't feel so great when I was talking to my Lady Mother either, actually."

Ben shifted at my side, pulling me ever closer to him. "What did she say?"

"Same as usual."

"Hmm."

After our confrontation with General Rieekan, Luke, and Leia, we had finally been returned to the healers' scrutiny. However, I had managed to worm us out of it, as much for myself as for Ben, who still retained his disgust of healers and being fussed over like a fragile child. He was too independent for that, my Ben.

So now we rested in some spare quarters. We had agreed to be placed together, for there were a scarce amount of rooms – and because I knew Ben would not have agreed to leave me alone after what had occurred.

For a while, I had suspected I was pregnant once again, for the time elapse falling into this world could have fueled the development of a baby.

But no – I had sensed no life in me.

Ben had been worried, but what could he do? His strength lay in diplomacy and swordplay, not healing. He was extremely adept at trances, but he was no true healer and his experience was limited. Even my knowledge was limited. We knew the basics to treat ourselves, nothing more.

Besides, it was extremely likely this was just a one time reaction.

I wasn't sure whether I was sad or not with this realization. Of course I wanted a child, and of course I was sad that I did not have one – but I would not have wanted to try and conceal a pregnancy here. A child's presence, combined with my own, would have made me a shining beacon in the Force that even my power would not be able to conceal. Especially as it would next to impossible for any child of Ben and me _not_ to be Force-sensitive.

So, perhaps it was a good thing.

Ben sighed in my ear. "What troubles you?" he asked gently.

"Nothing." I sensed him frown, and slowly I confessed, "Just . . . I don't know. I don't understand what I must do here. And I hate the idea of risking you. . ."

I sensed the tension in him escalate; he even shifted slightly once more. "Better that I am at risk than you," he said firmly. "I won't see you facing danger alone, Kya; not anymore. You should know me better than that by now."

I didn't speak. My old Master and Ben had sprung from the same roots, both copies of one person – but they were different. In more than one way, too. My former Master would most likely have not pushed the issue, especially if he felt I could handle it and that it was not life-threatening. But then again, my Master had loved me as a father loves a daughter, while Ben loved me as a husband loves a wife. That was the key difference. All of Ben's drive to protect me stemmed from his affection for me, and it was all the stronger due to whatever power the Force had given him to protect me. My old Master had been just that – my old Master. He had had no extra power, no extra drive, no extra affection.

Sometimes, Ben's affection was endearing, his protection welcomed.

Other times, it stifled me.

For I too was independent, even more so for having been young and wild during the wartime when no one had the time to curb an excitable Padawan who had so recently lost a Master. I had learned formal control, but rarely had I the opportunity to exert it. I had followed my Master, relied on _his_ judgment – perhaps a bit too much.

The feeling of Ben's hand on my cheek roused me back to the present.

"What?" I asked self-consciously.

Ben's face relaxed. "Daydreaming?" he teased gently.

I flushed, once again reminded of the power of the bond between us. "Just doing some meandering in the past," I said evenly.

"Hmm." He pressed his lips to my hair, his own thoughts turning to the past in turn. I could sense the change in his emotions. _And what fascinated you such that you were so wholly occupied with it, my love? It's been a while since you last so lost track of what was going on around you. . . Yes, a _very_ long time._

I closed my eyes. _I don't know. . . I just . . . I don't know._

Ben kissed me gently, so softly I barely felt it. He didn't speak, but I could sense his unspoken message all the same. When I was ready, he would be there.

I buried my face in his chest. _Thank you._

After all, Ben still didn't know that my old Master had been _him_ – in a way of speaking. And I didn't think I was quite ready to reveal that to him just yet.

Ben's mind suddenly took a turn into the business-like – and mischievous – realm.

_ Now,_ he said briskly, sensing and ignoring my wariness at the same time, _I have an idea of how we can begin to train Luke tomorrow. . ._


	11. Chapter 9

**_Chapter Nine_**

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
I had just almost slashed my way through Kya's defense when a new presence floated into my range. With the instinct of many years, I whipped my blade up to defend my side and used my momentum to propel myself over her head in a flipping leap, narrowly avoiding her offensive strike upwards, and allowed myself a single glance to my left.

Luke.

When I landed, Kya was right there, her blade driving straight for my heart. I parried easily and dropped low to kick out; she jumped up gracefully and lashed out towards my head. I ducked, blocked, and then turned my block into a blow, forcing the blades towards her.

And so the dance continued.

It would continue for a long time, I knew, and we had already been at it for an hour or more. But it was unavoidable. Even though we had closed our minds to each other, the bond that tied us ran far deeper than mere conscious thought. We were true soulmates in even sense of the word; the connection might be faint, but it was unbroken. Besides, I knew her as well as I knew myself – her moves were as familiar to me as my own. And it also didn't help that although we favored different styles – me, Ataru and Soresu; her, Makashi and Djem So – we knew those styles as well.

In other words, we were perhaps at the same level of skill, and what advantages she possessed, like swiftness and flexibility, I countered with my own, like my strength and larger size.

As she flowed around me, her blade a whirling blue shield and mine a striking lightning bolt, she said, _Luke is here._

_I know._

_Should we stop?_

I parried and whirled to land a blow to her stomach; she brought her knee up and hit me in the back.

_Perhaps not. _

_Why? He cannot learn anything by watching us dance_, she pointed out. _Besides, he has no skill in Soresu or Ataru or Makashi. . . He favors Anakin's style more than anything._

_Does he even know what the styles are?_

I caught a flash of her smile from the corner of my eye; it was rare I remembered something from her past that she had forgotten.

_No, of course not. . . We did not have the time to dwell the finer details._

_So . . . we should stop then_, I decided.

And before she could comment, I shifted from the defense of Soresu to the offensive of Ataru, utilizing my strength and the space around us to my full advantage. She didn't hesitate – for she had probably sensed my preparation through our bond – to shift to Makashi, using its motion and specialization in dueling to defend herself.

I rained the blows down, one after another, only flicking my form into defense on the rare occasion that she struck out at an opening. Here, in this situation, I had the advantage, and I intended to use it.

But it was all for naught.

At the very last moment, she switched her style entirely to match my Soresu – and then I found myself flat on the floor, my lightsaber rolling away, and her blade at my neck when she landed on me.

"I win," she pronounced, more for Luke than for me.

I knew when I was finished in our duels. When she had this clear of an advantage and I was at such a big disadvantage, there was little I could do unless she was distracted. I sighed. _I yield. Now let me up._

She laughed at my sour comment, but she did deactivate her blade as I had requested. I pushed at her gently, so I could have the room to sit up, and wrapped an arm around her as I summoned my own blade to me. At the same time, I turned my body to hide the action from Luke. I did not think that Luke knew of the old Jedi way of forbidding attachment, but I didn't wish to take any changes; and besides, concealing our relationship until we knew more was for the best – or so the Force told me.

_You've learned too well from my own tricks_, I told her.

Kya glanced at me, her sapphire eyes sparkling. _You are a good teacher. And I know you too well to begin with._

I kissed her gently, releasing the blocks I had constructed and allowing the full force of my love to surface. She trembled as the sensation overpowered her own shields, and I could feel the raw nature of our bond begin to surface. Heat and desire flooded my body.

Kya broke the kiss and buried her face in my chest. _Stop showing off_, she told me, her mental voice breathless with control and desire.

I grinned. _Sorry._

I sometimes still forgot just how much power I had over Kya. She wielded a great deal, but in some ways my own control over her far dwarfed hers over me.

I pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, pulled my shields back up, and stood as she did.

"Good morning, Luke. I see you've found us."

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
I stared at the two Jedi as they practically flowed through the deadly duel without hesitation or injury. It should be impossible – yet I knew my eyes were not deceiving me.

I had known, from the moment I had met them, that Ben Kenobi and Kya Ranor were past their prime in terms of youth, Ben more so than Kya. Their age was clear in the depth in their eyes, and in the tightly controlled power that radiated from both of their auras in the Force. To me, it was clear they were true Jedi Masters, just as Old Ben – or Obi-Wan, I supposed – had been when I had met him on Tatooine.

Only Kya and Ben were alive.

And their show of skill was . . . incredible. Even as I watched, Kya closed her eyes briefly, but her blade did not still or slow, instead matching each of his strikes perfectly.

It was the most thrilling thing I'd ever seen.

Suddenly, though, it was over, with Ben flat on the floor and Kya's blade at his throat.

"I win," she said suddenly, and I was startled to note that her voice was clear and strong when she spoke. She wasn't even the tiniest bit winded, despite the enormous amount of energy that duel must have taken.

Ben scowled at her briefly before sighing.

By some unspoken signal – although I did feel the Force ripple between them – her lightsaber was suddenly deactivated and put away, and he pushed her away gently to sit up and wrap an arm around her.

But his action ensured that he blocked my view of them, even as he tilted his head down to her level.

There was silence, and I could neither see nor hear anything.

But in that silence, the Force sang between them, powerful and immovable. Alone, I had sensed they were formidable warriors indeed, and this duel had proven it. But together – together, they must be unstoppable, with the combination of their lightsaber skills . . . and the power of the Force.

Then there was the oddest quiver in the Force, a sensation I had never felt before. Something primal responded to the ripple, but before I could pin it down, it was gone, like a flash of light.

Abruptly, Ben rose.

"Good morning, Luke. I see you've found us." As he spoke, he turned to me, and I was hard-pressed to contain my surprise.

Kya smiled at me. "Yes, we knew you were there," she said, answering my unspoken question.

"How?" I asked curiously.

Ben and Kya shared a knowing glance.

"When you duel, you close your mind to your opponent as you reach for the Force to guide you," Ben began. "You must open your vision and broaden your focus, to better allow you to sense distractions before they happen and prevent them."

"In light of that," Kya continued, easily picking up the narrative, "it is a trivial thing indeed to sense someone's approach – "

" – for in the real battle, that person could be life or death, and you must understand that." Ben paused, and a faint smile lifted his lips. "Besides, there is no Master who would not take advantage of that to teach you the lesson the hard way – "

" – as mine did," Kya finished.

I blinked and looked from one to the other. Old Ben had never done this – but then again, there had never been another Jedi which with he could do it. It seemed a bit strange, though, but it accentuated their familiarity with each other.

"How long have you two known each other?"

Kya shrugged. "All Padawans meet eventually," she commented. "Or as Knights, when we work in the field, for we often go in teams."

I waited. That had not been the answer I had sought from her, and I guessed she knew that I knew that.

Ben nodded after a moment, and I thought I caught the flash of approval.

"Good," he murmured. "You already know how to sense the layout of the Force around you. That is more than I had hoped for. . . How goes your skill with the blade?"

"But first," Kya interrupted, "your answer. I met Ben when we were both apprentices, a great many years ago, and it just developed into what you see today. That is generally the case, and most likely would have been, had you a fellow apprentice to work with."

"So Padawan means apprentice?"

"In a way, yes."

Ben placed his hand on Kya's shoulder, and repeated, "How is your skill with the blade?"

I glanced down at the lightsaber clipped my belt with a frown. I hadn't really used it too much, after all. . .

"I don't know. Old Ben – well, your brother," I amended quickly, "he taught me mainly using droids."

Confusion rippled over Ben's face. Kya turned her face slightly to him, her lips moving – but no sound came out. The Force hummed between them, and then his confusion eased. To my surprise, I could _feel_ that – feel his confusion ebb in the Force, and understand take its place. It was strange . . . and exhilarating.

"Did he teach you about how your eyes can deceive you, then?" Ben asked.

I nodded. So apparently all Jedi learned about that.

"Yes, we do . . . eventually," Kya muttered, startling me yet again with just how clearly she could read me.

Ben spared her a single glance; she raised her eyes to him. For the briefest second, I felt as though their eyes were communicating – with the help of the Force, of course. But it was somehow much more intimate than normal communication; that too I was sure of.

I made a mental note to ask them about how to do it. _It must come in handy_, I thought.

And it might explain just why they seemed so flawlessly connected, as though they knew each other better than they knew themselves.

But then Ben turned to me, and she started walking towards the side, and he said, "Well, then. Draw your lightsaber, Luke Skywalker, and let's see what you've learned."

And he activated his lightsaber and sprang at me.


	12. Chapter 10

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

* * *

**_Chapter Ten_**

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
The flashes of light and the clashes of electricity did nothing to soothe the fear I felt when I noticed that Luke and the woman and man were missing. Or that they were happening the same room I guessed all three were in. Or that, when I entered the room, the man – Ben Kenobi – was slashing wildly at Luke, who was backpedaling and parrying madly.

The woman – Kya Ranor – stood off to the side, her lips pursed as though she was thinking, her eyes focused on the pair of fighters.

I marched over to her. "What in the galaxy are you _doing_?" I demanded.

She blinked and lifted her eyes to me, as though I had interrupted a reverie. "Hmm? Oh, good morning, Princess Leia Organa," she murmured. "What did you say?"

That only infuriated me more.

"Them!" I nearly shouted, waving a hand towards the two. "What are they doing? And why aren't you stopping them? He could _kill_ Luke! Don't you get it? _He could kill him!_"

Kya raised her hand. "No, he won't," she said calmly. "Oh, I'm quite sure he _could_ – that I will not debate. I could too, actually. . . But that is beside the point. Ben won't hurt Luke, Princess Leia; that is not the point of this exercise. We merely wish to get an understanding of his skills, so that we can effectively instruct him."

Her calm words quieted the anger and fear within me.

Well, a little.

"How do you know?"

The question erupted before I could stop it, but I didn't really wish to take it back; it was a legitimate question.

She smiled slightly, almost wistfully, and I got the sense that there was something she knew that I did not that gave her great pleasure and sorrow, somehow at the same time. As though there was a secret she took delight in having, but despaired of its existence. A strange combination, all in all.

"Jedi do not duel to kill," was all she said.

And I couldn't get another word out of her no matter what I said.

Suddenly, twenty minutes later, Luke tripped and tumbled backwards, landing rather ungracefully on his butt. His lightsaber went flying – Ben lifted a hand at the same time Kya did, and the lightsaber flew to her. Ben, meanwhile, looked down at Luke with a grave expression on his face, but it was tempered by some other emotion.

"Well done," he said finally, quietly. "You lost, yes, but you fought without hate or fear. . . Yes, well done. I did not expect half as much."

Kya smiled and stepped in their direction; I followed. As we approached, Ben took Luke's hand and pulled him to his feet without any apparent effort.

She held out Luke's blade, and he reached for it –

And she yanked it back and neatly smacked him on the hand with the hilt.

He yelped and jumped back. "What was that for?" he shouted, rubbing at his hand and glaring at her.

Ben took the lightsaber from Kya, who was smiling slightly again.

"Never let down your guard," he said simply.

Luke eyed him warily before accepting the lightsaber. Nothing funny happened this time, and when Luke clipped it onto his belt I could see him relax.

"That was a good duel, Luke," Kya began. She glanced at Ben, who nodded slowly. "But there is still plenty that can be improved. . . Can you meet us here tomorrow at the same time? I think there are quite a few things that I can teach you."

Luke nodded eagerly. "I can be here early tomorrow morning, at the earliest; I have to go outside and check on the sensors now."

Kya and Ben shared a single glance – another strange, wordless communication that was starting to really annoy me.

"That will be fine. Much can be done in a few hours. If we at least get you started, then things will be easier when you find a real Master," Ben replied.

"Now – what thought is biting at your tongue, Luke?" Kya asked briskly.

"It's just . . . When will I be at _your_ level? Or, at least, at the level of a normal Jedi?" he blurted out anxiously. It was clear – at least to me – that he really, really wanted to be up to level of prowess Ben had displayed in his duel, albeit briefly. He wanted to be like his father – a real Jedi, not just some farm boy who was wielding his father's lightsaber.

Kya frowned, and Ben crossed his arms over his chest. It was not a measure of their disproval, but rather them trying to figure out how to respond, I guessed.

Finally, Ben said carefully, "I have trained since infancy, Luke, and I had been a Knight for nearly as long as you have been alive. I won't deny it; it will be a while yet before you are at my skill level, much less Kya's."

"But your brother said I was powerful. . ."

"You have a great deal of Force potential, yes," Kya expained, "but potential is nothing without training. If the Jedi had not found me, I'd be just like you, Luke."

"That's hard to believe."

"Only," she laughed, "because it seems so natural for me as a Jedi. But trust me – that ability will come to you as well over time. You'll get there, Luke; we all do."

"Patience. Use the Force. Think," Ben counseled. "Oh, and make sure to practice."

Kya laughed at him, and I did not miss the smile he flashed her.

I leaned forward.

There was something between these two Jedi – something much deeper, much closer, much more powerful than comradeship or even friendship. They were just too . . . I didn't know how to say it. But I could tell that they were a great deal more familiar with each other than I was with my friends – almost _too_ familiar.

"Now, young Luke, Princess Leia . . . if you would do us the favor of moving off to the side?" Ben asked cheerfully.

Luke backed away. "Why?"

Kya smiled. "Why, I have not yet finished giving Ben his proper sound defeat yet, that is all," she said sweetly, but her eyes twinkled all the same.

"Oh – so sure of victory you are?" Ben croaked strangely, his eyes sparkling with mirth to match or even surpass hers. "Be mindful of confidence, you should – Ow!"

He leaped back, reverting to his normal tone, when she kicked him in the thigh.

It was not a strong blow; even I could see that. It could perhaps be defined, at best, as a glancing blow. She had pulled it – severely. She wished to start, but she did not wish to hurt him.

Once again, I wondered if there was something between them that they had kept secret from us.

But I saved that thought for later.

His blade hissed into existence as he shifted into some sort of stance before leaping nimbly at her, his blue blade a whirling propeller to land a devastating blow. She threw herself back and tumbled away to gain ground and time, and moments later the blue blade ignited in her hand.

Then . . . they dueled.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
After the very long and indeed taxing duel, I showered quickly but briefly, grateful for the hot water – even if it was limited. The hot water soothed my aching muscles, and cleared my mind. I hadn't dueled so fiercely with Ben in so long – or with anyone, for that matter. But then again, I rarely had such an excited audience.

Luke had been full of delight at our display of power.

Leia . . . not so much. She was warier than Luke, and more careful. She knew the danger we posed was nearly equal to the help we could give.

_She has a good head on her shoulders_, I decided.

Ben was meditating outside, sitting cross-legged on the bed. I slipped on to the bed and sat beside him. He didn't move or acknowledge my presence, but I felt the Force ripple around us, and the frigid air lessened somewhat as he exerted some of his willpower towards keeping out the cold and bringing in some warm air.

_Thank you_, I told him.

He turned then, and opened his arms, and I leaned into his embrace willingly as his arms tightened around me and he sighed. He brushed his fingers along my forehead. _What did you think of Luke?_

_He . . . He fights well. And is a quick learner._

_ But?_

I groaned. _Is it that easy to tell?_

_I'm your mate_, he reminded me gently. _And even you cannot truly lie to me over the bond. You know that._

I sighed, burying my face in his chest as I gathered my thoughts.

_He is a good fighter_, I repeated. _And he fights with the style of his father. Which means he shares the same weakness – that of the lack of mobility. That, I think, is what we need to work on the most. . . I think he needs to learn, from us, some elements of Shii-Cho and Makashi. _

Ben nodded slowly. _Yes, he does. Shii-Cho will give him some grounding in the basics, at least, and Makashi the defense against Vader and Sidious._

_What do you think of his Force abilities?_

_They leave much unsaid. . . I fear he knows little. Oh, he listens to the nudges during a duel, but he does not yet know _how_ or _what_ they tell him. I think he needs a definite return to the basics on that._

I considered it. Yes, he was right. _Anakin was the same._

_Don't remind me_, Ben muttered darkly.

I was about to reply when alarm suddenly fluttered in the Force. Ben felt it at the same time I did; we both leaped off the bed and whirled as one to face the door. I extended a hand; my lightsaber slapped into my palm. Ben held my arm.

_Not yet._

There was no dark in the alarm here.

I sighed in relief. _No Sith. No invasion. Thank the Force._

_For now_, Ben countered. _But something _is_ wrong. Very wrong. There wouldn't be so much alarm if not._

There was a frantic knock on the door.

Ben flicked a finger in that direction, and the door opened.

"Princess Leia," I said in surprise, relaxing my stance and clipping my hilt to my belt. "To what do we owe the honor of your visit?"

She twisted her hands. "Luke's not back yet."

Ben frowned. "What do you mean, he's not back yet? He went out hours ago; surely his patrol has finished by now. What could he possibly be held up by?"

"That's why we are worried." Leia gestured behind her. "Han came in saying Luke went to investigate something that he saw – perhaps a meteorite. We've been trying to contact him since then with no success."

"Mess hall? South corridor?" I asked.

Leia shook her head again. "He's not in the base; he hasn't checked in."

I cursed under my breath. _The wampa._

I had forgotten, yet again, how quickly events moved when a Walker was sent it. I had forgotten to keep track of the time. I sighed. _So much for protecting Luke and Leia against harm. I need to get on track._

"He's in trouble then," Ben said, with a quick glance at me. I knew he had felt my anger and self-reproach.

"Han already went after him, I think."

I shook my head. "It won't be enough. I'll go. Luke burns brightly enough." I turned to Ben, whose mouth was already open to argue with me. I touched his lips. "No, Ben; this is something I must do for myself." I hugged him, and whispered, "Find me when this blizzard ceases, and the sun rises. Don't make me wait too long."

Then I grabbed my cloak and left.


	13. Chapter 11

**_Chapter Eleven_**

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
I walked into the main hangar deck entrance just in time to overhear a lieutenant say, "Sir, all the patrols are in. There's still no contact from Skywalker or Solo."

I suppressed the urge to scream, to run, to do something. My love, my mate, my Kya was _out there too_. And in just as much, if not more, danger. If something happened to her – and something very well might – she would be almost completely defenseless. Her abilities as a Walker would be no use if she was exhausted and unconscious.

It was _my_ duty to protect her during those times.

But I couldn't. She had forbidden me to step outside, and told me to find her when the sun rose. Going out now would only endanger us both if I did not find her or she could not find me.

At least

I wasn't the only one in misery, though.

I could see Princess Leia standing nearby, her face a mix of desperation and resignation. On one hand, she really wanted Luke and Han Solo to come back. On the other . . . well, she was an Alliance leader as well. She knew the risks and the statistics. She knew they might very well not come back.

I heard the metallic voice of 3PO chime in. "Mistress Leia, Artoo says he's been quite unable to pick up any signals, although he does admit that his own range is far too weak to abandon all hope."

Leia nodded absently, but I could tell she wasn't paying attention.

Just then, a man with a major's insignia stepped up to her. _That_, she did pay attention to. Especially when he started talking.

"Your Highness," he began soberly, "there's nothing more we can do tonight. The shield doors _must _be closed."

Leia merely looked wearily at him.

Seemingly feeling better – or perhaps just having gotten a burden off of his chest – he turned to the lieutenant and ordered the doors closed.

The little astromech droid started beeping rapidly.

Moments later, 3PO announced, "R2 says the chances of survival are seven hundred seventy-five . . . to one."

The door slammed shut exactly as he finished, and for a second, I sensed a ripple of pain and fear flutter through Leia. I could empathize – completely – for the same feeling was sending butterflies trembling in my stomach as I thought about my Kya out there . . . alone . . . with survival changes 775 to 1.

As if realizing the magnitude of what he had just said, 3PO quickly added, "Actually, R2 has been known to make mistakes . . . from time to time."

_That did not help._

Leia turned away from the droids, her head drooping and resignation spilling across her features. On silent footsteps, I approached her. I didn't knew her very well, or her me, but in this case we faced similar pain – and I wasn't a diplomat for nothing.

In the background, I heard 3PO mutter, "Oh, dear, oh, dear. Don't worry about Master Luke. I'm sure he'll be all right. He's quite clever, you know . . . for a human being."

"Princess Leia," I said.

She started, but recovered enough to say, "Master Kenobi."

"_Jedi_ Kenobi," I corrected gently, crossing my arms. "Master Kenobi would be my brother."

Leia stared. "So if there are brothers or sisters in the Order, one always has to be lower?" she asked incredulously.

"Not necessarily," I told her. "You can have two Masters with the same last name. . . It's happened. But in this case, it has to do entirely with rank, not the fact that we were related."

_This lie is getting easier and easier to say._ I sighed. _That can't be a good thing._

"Rank?"

I laughed. "It is like your position as an Alliance leader. You did not simply _get_ it because you were a Princess. In that same way, you do become a Jedi Master simply by being a Jedi. You must earn it. My brother was granted that title. I was not."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "The Council had its own reasons. . . And I will not presume to assume the title of Jedi Master. That is a dark path to tread, and earns little respect from your peers."

Leia turned fully to me. "Can I ask you a question, Jedi Kenobi?"

"I don't see why not."

"Why are you here?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, feigning innocence.

Her brown eyes, so like Padmé's, narrowed. "I think you know very well what I mean. Why are you here?"

I spread my hands. "The Rebel Alliance wishes to restore the Republic, and the Jedi have always been sworn in the defense of the Republic," I said simply. "Why would I not be here?"

"You haven't, for the last twenty-odd years."

"And Vader has never been more distracted from his search for any surviving Jedi in these last twenty-odd years," I countered. "He is extremely curious about finding Luke Skywalker; you know that. That, at least, relieves the pressure of us trying to hide from him. I do not wish to test my abilities in a duel to the death. I don't think anyone does."

She hesitated. She knew my answer was logical, but there was something that told her I was hiding something.

I concealed a sigh. _Oh great._ So apparently Leia, while not having any formal training at all, was still sensitive to her connection to the Force.

Finally, I said, "You are wondering as to my connection with Kya."

Leia blinked. "I . . . Well . . . Yes."

"Hmm. Is it any less mysterious than yours to Luke or the Captain Solo?" I asked pointedly. "When you have grown up and worked and lived with someone since you were old enough to remember, the friendship is stronger than can be described, and generally comes off as very odd."

"You grew up with her?"

"To an extent, yes," I replied. "All younglings are raised together, and many Padawans work together, either in training or in the field."

"Oh. . . I'm sorry. I did not mean to pry."

"It is all right. You were unaware of the way the Order worked. It is understandable."

Silence fell between us, and slowly I could feel Leia's mind slipping into brooding. She was full of fear, and resignation, and tiny hope, but she was still feeling that same fluttering feeling of pain. Luke and Captain Solo meant more to her than she was saying.

"Do not fear for them," I finally said.

She jumped. "What?"

"Do not fear for them," I repeated, turning to gaze steadily at her.

"Why should I not?"

"Because I will know if something goes wrong."

"How?" Leia asked in surprise. "We've had no contact with either of them since – "

"I did not mean by comm, Princess Leia," I interrupted. "You forget; Kya is a full-fledged Jedi Knight. If something goes wrong, she will contact me. . . If not . . . I will sense something if there is a disturbance."

"How?"

"Every action leaves a ripple. A Jedi's job is to find those ripples, and then to understand them." I paused. "If it will help you sleep tonight, Princess Leia, I will keep vigil for you, and I promise you, if there is any sign – through the Force, by comm, or if they come banging on this door – I will alert you."

There was a faintest flicker in her own diplomatic mask. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Good night, Princess Leia Organa."

~ _Han Solo_ ~  
I had almost given up searching for Luke when there was a rasping groan and then another rider on a tautaun pulled up. Even with the mask obscuring the face and equipment the torso, I could tell it was the woman Jedi we had found – Kya, I thought her name was – especially with the distinctive Jedi cloak and the glint of metal at her waist.

"This was, Captain Solo," she said, spurring her tauntaun forward with unnatural ease.

"Who made you the boss?" I demanded, with my tauntaun lumbering far less gracefully after her.

"If you want Luke alive, trust the Force."

"Oh, that's reassuring."

We exchanged no more words until she suddenly exclaimed, "Here!" She leaped off her tauntaun and sprang lightly over the snow, leaving no footprints behind, seemingly headed towards nowhere.

"What – " I started to say.

But then I saw what she had somehow glimpsed in this hailstorm of a blizzard.

A prone, obviously unconscious or pretty darn near gone figure, lying facedown in the snow bank, dressed in the white-grey outside gear the Rebel Alliance scouts used whenever we were the unlucky ones to draw the short stick and have to venture into the ice cube this place was.

Luke.

I rushed to his side, the cold making my fingers numb and movements clumsy. "Luke! Luke!" When he didn't respond, I muttered, "Don't do this, Luke. Come on, give me a sign here." I didn't think he heard me, nor had I thought he would, but I could just sit around and do nothing.

There was an awful sound behind us, even worse than the normal tauntaun call.

Ky and I both turned just in time to see my tauntaun stagger and fall limply to the snow with one last gasping death rattle.

_Oh, brilliant. In a hailstorm, with night coming, no shelter and no transportation. Just brilliant. Solo, how in the galaxy's name do you manage to get yourself into these kinds of things?_

"Captain Solo," Kya said abruptly, drawing my attention back with a jolt. "We don't have much time."

And then she pressed the hilt of her lightsaber into my hand.

I stared, first at the silver, innocuous weapon in my hand, and then at her. I had seen Luke wield it before, and quite dangerously too. Was she totally cracked or something?  
But she didn't hesitate.

"Here's the ignition switch," she said, pointing. "Cut the belly of that tauntaun open with it. I can take out the innards, and then we can put Luke there. It'll keep him warm, for now. At least until we get a shelter built."

"What – "

It made sense. But it sounded so . . . ridiculous that it took a bit to process.

"Go!" Kya ordered.

And then she proceeded to lean over Luke, place her hand on his forehead, close her eyes, and look like she really had cracked.

_Great. More Jedi mumbo-jumbo. As if I hadn't had enough with the old fossil._*  
But I _was_ genuinely worried about Luke.

So I sighed, took a deep breath, and marched over to the dead tauntaun. Carefully, I touched the switch she had indicated . . . and nothing happened. _Blast._ I touched it again. Still nothing. Irritated beyond belief, I slammed my fist down on it and the blue blade hissed into existence, startling me.

It looked like it should weight something . . . but it didn't.

Slightly fascinated, I waved it in a gentle arc; it hummed gently as it made a blue half circle. Still no weight, but a really nice effect. I had to admit, that was pretty cool.

"Solo!" Kya snapped from my side, her arms full of a prone Luke.

I jumped. Then I finally plunged the lightsaber forward, hearing a new sizzling sound as tauntaun guts fried and the skin burned. I wrinkled my nose as one of the worst smells I had ever smelled blew towards us, courtesy of the breeze.

_Ugh. . . That's . . . disgusting. Whew._

But I kept at it until the entire length of its belly was sliced apart.

Kya stepped forward then, and flicked her hand with a flourishing sort of . . . sweep, I guess.

The steaming innards rose eerily in the air and drifted away from us, until they dropped unceremoniously several meters from us.

_Creepy. . ._

"Get him inside," Kya said, with a jerk of her head towards Luke. "I'll start a shelter; without it, we'll end up like him within a few hours." She sighed. "And don't mind his muttering; he's half-awake, mind."

A moan from Luke made me jump again. "Ben. . . Ben. . ." he was muttering.

_The old fossil? What the . . . Why is he . . . Oh, never mind._ I grabbed his arm, ignoring his continued muttering, and started shoving him inside the tauntaun stomach.

"Hang on, kid," I told him.

"Dagobah system. . . Dagobah. . ."

I finished with his arms and torso and started on his legs. "This may smell bad, kid," I grunted, knowing he couldn't hear me, "but it will keep you warm . . . 'til we get the shelter built." I gave a long sigh when he was finally all tucked inside, and was about to rest against the tauntaun before the smell caught up with me again.

"Ooh. . ." I groaned, readjusting my mask and wishing it filtered the air as well. "And I thought . . . they smelled bad . . . on the outside!"

"Come on, Solo," Kya called from where she was working on the shelter. "As much as I'd like to agree, I fear we have a more pressing concern right now. . . Unless, of course, you _want_ to be an icicle in, oh, fifteen minutes time."

_One old fossil for another._ I sighed. _Han Solo, how in the galaxy's name do you get yourself stuck with these kinds of people?

* * *

_

A/N: * This is a reference to that line for ANH, where Han asks Luke "Where did you dig up that old fossil?" at the Death Star. Cheesy, I know, but I think we're getting a little confused with which Ben is who, so I tried to avoid that as much as possible. Besides, if he called him it once, he'd call him it again.


	14. Chapter 12

**_Chapter Twelve_**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
"So . . . what are you doing again?"

I took a deep breath, held it for five seconds, and slowly released it, letting the irritation that had blossomed in my chest flow out with it, before I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at my curious and now rather annoying shelter-mate. This was, after all, the fourth time he had interrupted my meditation with questions I thought I had answered at least twice now.

"I am going," I said slowly, emphasizing each word with the Force, "to use the Force – what you call my 'Jedi powers' – to reach out to Ben and direct the searchers to our location."

Captain Solo regarded me with an almost arrogant look on his face, lounging against the wall of the ice shelter we had hastily constructed. "Jedi mumbo jumbo," he muttered. "Didn't work out for the old fossil."

I frowned. I knew exactly who he was referring to – but technically, I shouldn't. _Blast this whole different universe thing._ This was the downside to being a Walker and nobody knowing. Well, no one except Ben, of course, and he _had_ to know. His memory, his constant support, his voice across the bond was the one thing keeping me from reaching out to Captain Solo with the Force and rendering him unconscious and snoring until Ben led the searchers to us. _All it would take would be one tiny little push . . . _

_Kya, you exist so that people _don't_ abuse their powers_, Ben reminded me as his presence in the bond swelled. He was trying to get his message across – and divert me back to the task at hand.

I sighed. _Yes, Master._

I felt his smile. _Calm down, my love. You'll be back soon, and I'll keep you away from him._

_Hmm._

I didn't think that was going to be the case. Luke, I knew, had wandered away in search of an Imperial probe droid, one that had led Darth Vader right to the doorsteps of Echo Base. Then, in the ensuing battle, Luke had gone to Master Yoda and Leia and Han . . . well . . . all over the place, but they had ended up in Bespin . . . and right in Vader's trap.

I glanced at my wrist where the shimmering bands wove a silver bracelet.

_My Lady Mother said that Luke and Leia had to be brought to the fleet after rejoining at Bespin _uninjured_. But Leia was tortured in Bespin, and Luke had his hand cut off. . . _

I had no doubt that Ben and I would have to split up to protect Luke and Leia, as Leia obviously couldn't go to Dagobah and Luke definitely had to. But I hadn't really considered who should go where. Now I was faced with the knowledge that, most definitely, if Ben went to Bespin, Vader would torture him – and might even kill him, if he on the off chance put two and two together and realized that Ben looked, sounded, acted, and resounded in the Force too much like Obi-Wan Kenobi for them to be brother, much less two separate people altogether. He wouldn't understand how – but Vader (and Skywalker before him) was not known for his patience, or his favoring of asking questions first and torturing for information later.

That sent a quiver of fear into me. I couldn't – wouldn't lose Ben.

A swell of concern jolted me back to the present.

_Kya? Are you okay?_ Ben practically radiated fear for my wellbeing. I could feel the immense strain of his concentrating on me across the bond.

Immediately, I reached back to let our minds join, albeit briefly, showing him that I was safe in a way words alone could not communicate, and scolding myself for such a slip. But I was thankful that he had not sensed my thoughts.

His concern slowly shrank. _Don't do that again. I thought you had fallen victim to hypothermia._

_I'm not a Padawan anymore, Kenobi; I'm fine. I can outlast a chilly night._

_This was more than a 'chilly night', Kya_, Ben said grimly. His attention flickered briefly away from me – someone had probably just spoken to him. _I'm going out right now with the pilots. Don't fade; I'll find you, I promise._

_I love you too_, I whispered as his presence shrank from the bond.

There were no further words, but there was the faintest crest in affection before Ben devoted his attention entirely to piloting whatever craft they had given him.

"Ranor? _Ranor_?"

I opened my eyes and glared at Captain Solo. "Captain, if you really want to be found, you're not showing it," I said, restraining my anger with difficulty.

"And if you're helping them find us, you're not showing it either," he shot back. "You look like you're sleeping."

"One has to be able to be at peace to reach the Force, and concentrated to make it do what one wills," I explained shortly. "The fastest way to do that is to make oneself fall into a trance, and while we're in it, we look asleep. But there is no more dangerous state for a Jedi to be in than when they are resting in the Force."

Captain Solo favored me with another skeptical look. "The last time I saw a Jedi pull that, he then got chopped in half."

My heart sank, and I almost lost control of my expression.

I knew exactly what he was talking about.

I had seen, right in front of me, my old Master be cut down by Darth Vader. I had sensed the Force swell around him when he had prepared to give up his life and join it, to meld himself to it to the greatest degree any Jedi of our time had ever done. And I knew that he had not felt any pain, and that in actuality Vader's lightsaber had not even touched him.

But that didn't stop the pain in my heart.

Master Kenobi had been the father I had never known – I had respected him, trusted him, loved him.

Seeing him cut down by Darth Vader . . . by _Anakin_ . . . by the man he'd called his best friend, his son, his _brother_ . . . It had been a pain I had never truly managed to dissipate, not even after all these years.

I squeezed my eyes shut and reached for the Force to wash away the memories. I didn't need them now. I couldn't be distracted now. I had to focus; I had to concentrate; I had to work. Luke would freeze and die if I stopped now. I had to keep the cold out and the pilots coming to find us. I had to.

"Captain Solo, I know you're anxious to be found, and I think it's impacting this conversation. Would you mind assembling the transmitter so we can contact the speeders physically when they come in range?"

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
I looked around the room, frowning, and looked for another topic of conversation. This one wasn't that great. . . Han looked way too arrogant; Leia looked way too uncomfortable – heck, _I_ was uncomfortable. Kissing was never a good topic. I was just a farm boy, after all, or Jedi apprentice, if you felt like being gracious with titles.

Just then I noticed something.

There was Leia, and Han, and Chewie, and even 3PO and R2-D2 – but where were Kya and Ben?

"Where's Kya and Ben?" I asked.

Leia hesitated before replying. "There wasn't enough room in the speeder that found you, Luke, so Kya stayed behind. Ben went to pick her up after Zev got you and Han."

My brain stuttered. They had told me that Han had found me – so where had Kya come into all of this?

"She came loping after me," Han answered with a scowl. "Did a lot of her Jedi mumbo-jumbo. But, hey – if it kept you alive, kid, maybe it was worth it. I still say that she must have slept through the entire thing though."

I smiled at Han's bluntness. _Of course he would feel that way._ But Han didn't understand Jedi, and Ben and Kya weren't exactly simple Jedi either.

"But where are they now?"

"Ben reported he had found her not long ago," Leia said. She checked her chrono. "They should be back any minute – "

"Headquarters personnel, report to command center."

Leia's expression transformed into alarm, something I shared completely. This couldn't be something trivial if they wanted all the headquarters personnel to report to the command center.

"Headquarters personnel, report to command center."

Leia left immediately, and even Han merely told me to take it easy before leaving too.

I tried to sit up discretely, and sighed when the pain hit me full blast. _Blast. That wampa took more out of me than I thought. . . Guess I'll have to wait here while everyone else finds out what's up._ I sighed again. _I knew there was a reason I hated being injured besides being fussed over by everyone else._

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
General Rieekan looked up from a console screen as we appeared. It wasn't a good sign at all, I reflected grimly.

"Princess . . . we have a visitor," he announced.

_What?_

I hurried to his side.

He gestured to the display. "We've picked up something outside the base in zone twelve, moving east," he explained.

_Maybe another wampa?_ I thought. They _were_ indigenous creatures here, even though we had barely seen them. But we hadn't established Echo Base that long ago either, and patrols stuck to a limited range as a precaution.

"It's metal," the controller added.

I frowned. "Then it couldn't be one of those creatures that attacked Luke." Wampas weren't metal.

"It could be a speeder, one of ours," Han suggested.

It sounded plausible, I had to admit – but something didn't smell right.

The senior controller beat me to the punch. "No. Wait," he said sharply. "There's something very weak coming through."

There was the strangest combination of beeps and tootles and whistles and almost any other sound that fell in that description. I looked at General Rieekan, and then at the senior controller; their expressions told me all I needed to know. This wasn't some everyday thing.

3PO suddenly spoke up. "Sir, I am fluent in six million forms of communication. This signal is not used by the Alliance. It could be an Imperial code."  
The sound then ended in static.

"It isn't friendly, whatever it is," Han decided abruptly. "Come on, Chewie, let's check it out."

General Rieekan did not look happy, but he didn't stop Han from leaving. I didn't bother. Han would do it no matter what I said, and perhaps that was a good thing. Alliance scouts sometimes weren't that great at being sneaky in new environments, and Han, as a former smuggler, knew a lot about evading Imperial droids.

"Send Rouges Ten and Eleven to station three-eight," General Rieekan ordered.

The controller looked up, frowning. "But, General, Rogue 11 is currently operated by Jedi Kenobi," he protested. "It's not back yet."

"It is now," a new voice interjected.

We all looked up just in time to see a very windswept, snow covered, and tired looking pair of Jedi enter the room. Ben looked a bit better off than Kya, though, and I almost didn't notice the way his arm was wrapped securely around her waist. But she looked almost ready to collapse, so I didn't comment.

"Jedi Kenobi, Jedi Ranor," General Rieekan greeted.

"Safely, thanks to you," Ben replied, inclining his head slightly.

Kya's eyes flickered between us; she obviously sensed something was wrong. "What is going on, General, Leia?" she asked, frowning.

The controller answered her question at once, explaining what was going on in a few short sentences that easily beat anything I could have said. But at least it got the message across.

Ben and Kya exchanged worried glances.

"That could belong to the Empire," Ben said grimly.

Kya closed her eyes briefly, and then shook her head. "Not 'could'. Does." She opened her eyes with a sigh. "Vader's shrank his search range almost to a pinpoint precision, Ben; I can feel it. He's on to Luke. He knows. That transmission definitely was from the Empire."

Ben stiffened. "Does he – "

"Not yet. But not for long, I'm afraid, not now that he has a smaller range to focus on."

"What – " I started to ask.

Kya turned to us with a grace that surprised me; she looked ready to collapse, and had spent the night shivering in the freezing cold. And yet she still looked ready to fight.

"If the Empire comes, we can't hold them off," she said rapidly. "Not even our combined Jedi powers would be enough to hide Hoth. If we had more Jedi, and more skill, a meld could easily conceal Hoth from the eyes of Vader. But we can't." She hesitated. "I think . . . I think, once Captain Solo gets back to us, we'd better start the evacuation."

Silence.

"Start evacuation orders _now_," General Rieekan ordered. "But hold the activation until Captain Solo gets back."

"Princess Leia? Oh, Princess Leia!"

I turned sharply as 3PO tottered over, his tone full of distress. "What is it?" I nearly snapped, finding my nerves stretched to a rare breaking point over this new development.

"It's Captain Solo. He's says it's urgent." 3PO paused. "And I do suggest you hurry."


	15. Chapter 13

**_Chapter Thirteen_**

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
When I stepped into the hangar, everything seemed as normal as it could ever get, what with everyone scrambling to evacuate, people discussing hurried plans in whispers near command consoles, and the Empire practically right outside our doorstep, with a full fleet and Lord Vader on board to boot.

There was, however, one thing that caught my eye – one thing I had _not_ expected.

"Ben!" I blurted out in surprise.

The Jedi straightened, turning with a smile as he caught sight of me. To my surprise, he was leaning over a command console and carried a pilot's helmet under his arm, just like I did. The only difference between him and me was that he still wore his Jedi robes – or, at least, since both he and Kya wore them, I assumed they were the standard Jedi robes of old.

Kya looked up too, and a brief, weary smile flashed across her face. "Good morning, Luke. How do you feel?"

"Much better," I answered, striding over. "I, um, never got a chance to, uh, thank you. For coming after me and everything."

Ben's smile widened a teensy bit. "It was nothing," he said dismissively.

"I was missing in action, mortally wounded by a wampa, out cold in the snow, and about to die, and you call it _nothing_?" I demanded, feeling drawn into their banter without really knowing why. "When do you think it'll be _something_?"

Kya and Ben shared a single glance and burst into laughter.

"I'm sorry, Luke," Kya said, her smile wider and more relaxed now. "You remind me of someone I knew . . . once."

"Hmm. I'm not sure _knew_ would be an accurate term there," Ben told her.

"Well, fine; we got hugged by him every time he saw us – happier?"

"Not really."

"Oo-kay," I interrupted, knowing they were about to lose me completley. "But really – thanks, Ben, Kya. I really owe you one for saving my life."

Kya's smile faltered suddenly, her eyes darkening. Ben's head snapped to her, his own smile vanishing as he watched her like as if she was a youngling and he her guardian. The Force rumbled abruptly, rolling into sadness before Kya's shields stiffened tenfold and she disappeared from my radar completely.

Ben placed his hand on her shoulder.

"You don't owe us anything, young one," he said gently. "Train well, learn our arts, and trust in the Force – that is all we ask of you."

Kya seemed to recover at that point. "Besides, you saved our life, Luke, by coming to my call. If there is any tally to be kept," she continued, "then the balance is equal, for you saved our lives as well."

"Even?" I frowned. "I guess."

Then I noticed how Kya carried no helmet.

"Hey, Ben, are you . . . are you going up with us?" I asked tentatively.

Ben's eyes darkened, but he nodded all the same. Apparently, he wasn't happy about it; that much I could sense.

"But . . . have you ever flown a snowspeeder before?"

I had no doubt that a Jedi could be proficient in fighting and all that – I had seen it firsthand when we had dueled. But as far as I knew, we had first found Ben and Kya in the remains of a crashed ship, unconscious and on the verge of death. And I could sense that Ben didn't even _like_ flying to begin with. On top of all of that, their ship had been really old – from the times of the Old Republic. These speeders weren't fresh of the line, but they were way more recent than over two decades ago.

"Yes." Ben's lips twitched into a faint smile. "When I went to rescue you, young one."

I winced. "Oh, yeah."

Ben crossed his arms. "Besides, the Force will guide me if I need help with the new technology, as you apparently believe I do," he said gently, but with a teasing air that told me I was off the hook. "And I can demonstrate to you how it is to be done. . . One day you may need it."

I opened my mouth to thank him again, but then the comm blared, alerting all pilots to get to their stations.

"I think we have to go," I said.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ben squeeze Kya's shoulders, his eyes full of an emotion I didn't recognize. She, in turn, lifted her face to him, as though through eye contact they could convey more than they ever could with words.

Yet another thing that I had to ask them about.

"Good-bye, then?" I said to Kya.

When her eyes clouded, I realized what I had just said. _Oops._ I had just given away that I didn't intend to regroup with the fleet – surely Kya would have picked up on that.

Of course, it wasn't just that. . .

There was just the strangest feeling in me through the Force, as though somehow I knew for sure I wouldn't see her for a while, whether or not I regrouped with the Rebel Alliance at the rendezvous.

But she, thankfully, did not comment.

All she said was: "May the Force be with you, Luke – wherever you go."

"Right." I looked at Ben. "Coming?"

He shook his head. "I'll join you later; I have to clear some things with Alliance command first."

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
General Rieekan spotted us first when we entered the command center. "Ah, there you are," he said. "Come over here; we're reviewing our plans."

Leia, with the help of a few of the senior commanders, laid out the plan in a few short minutes. With the Force as my aid and Kya filling in the details at my side, I thought I had a better understanding of it than perhaps the Rebels themselves did. But then again, Kya already knew the outcome, so perhaps that was swaying my judgment.

Leia frowned when she noticed my helmet.

"Are you planning to go up with the pilots, Jedi Kenobi?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered, feeling slightly impressed. _She was not trained, but her senses are as strong, in some ways, as her brother's._

I received the mental equivalent of a sad nod. _Her training in the Senate sharpened her mind_, Kya replied. _But unfortunately, she is not as strong as Luke in the Force; it will take many years of training before she is ready to walk beside him as a full Jedi._

_Ah._ I frowned. _What a pity. . . She would be a great asset to the Order._

_She will be. One day._

My answer had sent whispers racing around the command center; they had not expected a Jedi to go, apparently. In the Force, a mix of confusion and faint hope reigned in their minds.

Kya stepped forward with a sigh; she sensed it too. "I will remain behind, on the ground; the ground assaults will start shortly afterwards," she said, her voice carrying over the whispers. "But we cannot guarantee a victory. We can only promise, at best, that everyone shall be evacuated safely."

General Rieekan sighed. "As I thought. . . We were not planning to hold this base for long anyways," he said regretfully. "But I can thank you for whatever aid you can give; even the little amounts will help a great deal."

I inclined my head. "You came to our rescue," I reminded him. "It is only right that we help as well."

There was silence as our eyes met, and he inclined his head in return. _Perhaps we can find our place in the Alliance after all_, I thought.

"He's close," Kya said abruptly, her hands tightening at her sides.

Dismay entered the Force.

Without hesitating, I reached for the Force myself, opening my focus to encompass the widest range I could. Hoth itself was clear; no darkness reigned in the Alliance and there wasn't enough life-forms around us to really register or offer much of a threat. But outside – that was a different story. Darkness lurked over there all right, and it was powerful, stronger than I had thought.

Of course, compared to Sidious and the fallen Walker we had faced, it was puny.

But still a shock.

"The Empire," I said grimly.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
With Ben's announcement, whispers went wild yet again. But before I did anything rash or said anything impulsive, I reminded myself that the only Jedi the Alliance had ever met was perhaps Luke – and while he was strong, his potential was nothing against the training Ben and I had. Of course everything we did seemed like . . . well . . . almost miracles or supernatural feats.

I whirled to face General Rieekan. "Is the shield up?"

He hesitated. "Yes."

I narrowed my eyes at him. _This is not the time for lies and half-truths_, I thought. _Not with the Empire so close._

"It is," he insisted. "But not full power."

I held back a groan.

General Rieekan sensed my disapproval anyways. "Jedi Ranor," he said indignantly, "with all due respect, you cannot possibly understand. With the fleet so close, any kind of scan could pick up the shield. Putting it at full power would give away our position at once."

Ben stepped to my side, his hand resting against the small of back.

_Calm yourself_, was his gentle reprimand.

"We are not questioning your competence, General Rieekan," he replied calmly. "But the fleet already _has_ our position, thanks to the droid Captain Solo destroyed." He paused and let it sink in; it was a good point to make, I had to admit. "If we fail to activate the shield, they'll simply bombard us and destroy the base entirely. With the shield up, they'll have to do a ground assault, giving everyone more time to evacuate and abandon the base."

I suppressed a sigh. Even after all these years, negotiation and diplomacy was not my strong point.

Ben radiated amusement. _Well, I have to be better at _something_,_ he said teasingly.

"Very well," the General conceded.

I closed my eyes and stretched out the Force. I had seen this assault before; if I could use the Force to guide me, I could probably pinpoint where it would come and redirect the pilots to slow it down more effectively than what had happened in my birth universe. If I could just find it –

Cold filled my being, sapping me of any warmth and leaving me short of air.

I could feel myself falling, feel my eyes rolling back in my head, feel my body stiffen as though paralyzed – but I was helpless before the freezing onslaught.

Laughter sounded. _So sure of victory, are you, Walker?_ The voice was honey-sweet and ice-cold at the same time, filled with a mocking tone that made my entire soul recoil even as I languished helplessly in the grip of whatever or whoever was speaking. In some horrible, twisted way, it was a thousand times worse than the awful laughter of the Creature of the Unknown Regions that I had confronted two years ago. Much, much, _much_ worse. And the most terrifying part – that Creature was supposedly the greatest enemy of all Walkers ever to exist.

"Kya!"

Mentally and physically, Ben's presence filled my awareness.

I blinked and my eyes snapped open with a gasp. Ben was holding me, both literally and figuratively, for his arms were just as secure around me as the shields that now protected my mind.

"What's wrong?" he demanded.

I turned into his embrace with a shudder. In times like this, I was truly grateful for how powerful my mate was.

I forced out the terrible words: "Vader. He's here. And he's looking for us."


	16. Chapter 14

AN: Happy Holidays, everyone! And here is my gift to you – a double update for Another Future. As you can probably sense, we are finally starting to get close to some of the juicier events in The Empire Strikes Back, but you'll have to wait and see how those events play out now that Kya and Ben are involved. Enjoy!

* * *

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

~ _Dath Sidious_ ~  
Something had changed.

I could feel it.

In the nearly two decades since the fall of the cursed Jedi Order and the rise of my Empire, the domain of the Sith, the Force had remained clouded and shadow-stricken and full of darkness – just as I liked it. Even the survival of that meddling green troll and that Obi-Wan Kenobi had had little to no effect, especially since I suspected both should be dead by now. Even if Yoda wasn't dead, he should be pretty far gone, and no help to any Jedi who sought him out or tried to raise the Order anew.

No, the ashes were scattered too far and the fire dampened too much for that.

The Order would not rise again.

And yet . . . And yet something was different.

It had only been a few nights ago that an earthquake had rocked the Force, sending tsunami-like ripples throughout the universe. I had not been able to pinpoint cause, but suddenly the Force was suffused with clearings of brilliant light here and there, clearings that no matter what I did remained full of light.

It was impossible and unexplainable.

It was like . . . like two Jedi had suddenly been reborn and were filling the Force with all of their power as they threw off whatever shielding had protected them this long, for without shielding, my apprentice would have found them easily.

But to have this much effect. . .

They would have to be Jedi with the Force potential of Vader, for galaxy's sake. Maybe even stronger.

No one Padawan should have been able to have this kind of impact, but no one but a Padawan could have been able to escape the fury of my apprentice when he cleansed what survivors of Order 66 had remained.

Yes, something was wrong. Very wrong.

I ordered a new shipment of cortosis ore to be sent in the throne room of the new Death Star, and to be built into everything used in that throne room.

For no Jedi would challenge me here, in Imperial City, especially since my lovely Emperor's Hand, my Mara Jade, was here with me now as well. No, no Jedi would stand a chance here.

But the construction on the Death Star was going oh-so pitifully slowly.

It was ridiculous.

I would have to visit it one day and see if we could get the construction going faster. There was nothing like a living threat of power to move these disgusting citizens to get things done on schedule. My apprentice would help with that – whichever Skywalker I had, it didn't matter to me. Either would suffice.

But I would be vulnerable there, so far from Imperial City.

Not _too_ vulnerable, granted; my apprentice and the skills I had practiced and concealed for these twenty years would help give me an edge no Jedi could match, not even that meddling troll of a Grand Master.

But still, it would be a place for a Jedi to challenge me.

I would love waiting for that. I hadn't see a true lightsaber fight in years. It would be . . . delicious.

And then I would turn whoever this Jedi was to the dark side.

~ _Darth Vader_ ~  
I could sense that something was different.

Hoth had had no real presence in the Force until now; my only indication that my son was there had been the gut instinct in the Force.

But now Hoth practically _glowed_ in the Force with the power of Jedi.

I snorted. Pity. No amount of Force-given prowess would allow any Jedi to effectively challenge me. No Jedi had ever gotten close since . . . It didn't matter. I had killed him anyways, proven myself the Master in the end. Kenobi was dead.

Maybe one day, with my son at my side, we could find a cure, and I could dispose of this bulky uniform and walk through Coruscant with the power of fear through the Force's application, not just through this black suit. It would be the ultimate control, the ultimate power that I could wield, just as my current . . . Master . . . did.

_My son._

I resisted the temptation to call out to him.

This kind of revelation was something that needed to be spoken face-to-face.

After all, Sidious had turned me through conversation face-to-face, and I would not stain the honor my son by doing otherwise. He would make a fine Sith, a powerful apprentice, and a good man. He would rule the Empire at my side.

I was sure that he would turn as well. The dark side offered him limitless possibilities, as it had offered me.

_My son._ _My son and . . ._

I ruthlessly squashed the next through. No. I would _not_ think of . . . of _her_.

I rose from my chamber.

The Rebel Alliance base awaited me, after so many years of searching. I would crush them.

My son awaited me. I would find him, and I would turn him.

And apparently one or two Jedi awaited me.

Well, I hadn't had a proper lightsaber fight in years. Old Kenobi had been . . . _old_, and it had shown. That fight had been absolutely nothing compared to our last fight. And I had won. No, no competition at all. . .

I smiled darkly, ignoring the pain that sparked across my face. I harnessed it, and let the dark side swell within me.

No Jedi, alone or together, could stand against me.

But I would certainly enjoy toying with them as they tried.

I gave the order to invade.

~ _?_ ~  
_The pieces are in place._

I smiled.

"It is time to play, then."

I spoke to no one, no one in particular. But I knew that someone was listening anyways. He would take his cues from me, and it would be childishly easy to use him, have my way with him, make him do everything for me . . . and then slit his throat.

_Ah well. Treachery is the way of the Sith, is it not?_

I closed my eyes. It had taken two long years to orchestrate this. Two long, painful years.

But it would be worth it. Oh yes, it would be worth it when my hands finally wound around the throat of that _Walker_, Kya Ranor.

Her mate couldn't stop me. Not now.

Besides, he would have his own . . . troubles. I would make sure of that. A Sith Lord, for example, who was both his former Padawan and his Master's former Padawan would make for an _excellent_ distraction. And who knew? Darth Vader might even clean up that little loose end for me, or the other way around. It didn't matter. Both of them would have to die sometime, and it would be wonderful if they simply finished each other off for me. . .

And that would end Kya Ranor's whole purpose for the "Chosen One".

Because a dead one, of course, couldn't do anything.

Her power would drain away with that, and then the death of her mate would send her reeling.

She'd never see it coming.

And then I would snap her little neck, and this would all be over.

"I'll make sure that you are avenged, my love," I whispered. "I'll make sure she pays for your death, my Drakale."


	17. Chapter 15

**_Chapter Fifteen_**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
_"I won't leave you here defenseless."_

_ "I won't be. I can fight."_

_ "You know what I mean, Kya! Your safety is my ultimate responsibility; I swore to it. My life in exchange for yours – no buts, ifs, or ands!"_

_ "This isn't any of them. Go. Please. I'll be fine. Go with Luke to Dagobagh. Leia and I will rendezvous with you when we can. And you always have the Force, Ben. I'll be fine. Please, just go. And . . . And be careful."_

I closed my eyes at the memory of the conversation, which had ended when he had finally given in and kissed me good-bye before going out with the rest of the pilots. I had not wanted to push him away from me, but honestly, I had no choice. If Vader got his hands on Ben . . . I'd never forgive myself if they came within a parsec of each other, because Vader would tear Ben to pieces without question, hesitation, or mercy.

I couldn't lose Ben like that.

So he would go to Luke to Dagobah, and train with Master Yoda, and hopefully be able to dissuade Luke from coming to Bespin.

Which was where _I_ would be, with Leia and Han and Chewbacca.

I sensed a presence come in and didn't bother to tense. It was Han Solo. I just opened my eyes.

"You all right?"

Leia's head shot up, but she nodded the answer to his question. Her surprise was easily evident on her face.

"Why are you still here?" she demanded.

"I heard the command center had been hit."

"You got your clearance to leave," she said, still trying to ignore him.

"Don't worry," Han said dismissively, with but a flair of almost heroic bravado. "I'll leave. First I'm going to get you to your ship."

3PO then chose that time to interject. "Your Highness, we must take this last transport. It's our only hope."

Leia ignored him, and I didn't comment. I couldn't sway her mind anyways. And she wasn't going to get hurt just by staying for a few more minutes. Han would get her out before then, and if he didn't, then I would simply step in.

But for now, I had to try to interfere with the timeline as little as possible. There was no point in calling further attention to myself.

"Send all troops in sector twelve to the south slope to protect the fighters," Leia ordered the controller.

A blast rocked the entire command center. 3PO was thrown backwards. Leia staggered.

"Imperial troops have entered the base."

The announcement was repeated over and over again, like a hornet buzzing an unwelcome message in one's ear. Only we couldn't swat at this hornet, because it would be joined soon by a thousand others. Our only recourse now was to run and get out the way as soon as possible.

Like _now_.

Han reached over and placed his hand on Leia's arm. "Come on," he said gently, "that's it."

Leia looked at him like he was a stranger.

I stirred, uncrossing my arms. "Leia, enough. We need to go. The Empire already has our base; they don't need you as well," I reminded her.

She relented. "Give the evacuation code signal," she said resignedly. "And get to your transports!"

I saw them all out the door before I lit my lightsaber and smashed the command console, effectively wiping it beyond repair of all of our data and plans and transmissions. There was no need of the Empire to know any of that. Then I whirled to slice at the ceiling as well, making as many slicing cuts as I could. When I was satisfied that it was as good as it was going to get, I ran out of the room and laced the trap with the Force.

The first person to step in that room was going to be crushed by a mountain of ice.

But I had barely been running for two minutes after them before I heard an rumbling sound of ice and snow, and a muffled scream.

I cursed under my breath, running up just in time to see Han grab his comlink.

"Transport, this is Solo. Better take off – I can't get to you. I'll get the princess out on the Falcon."

I sighed. _Things flow the same way anyways, even with planning, it seems._

We ran with 3PO stumbling after us, calling out as he did so. We mostly ignored him. There was no time to stop and pause; I could already feel the way the darkness was gathering and moving towards the base.

We made it to the Millenium Falcon, and I paused at the door to fling my hand out and lace the door with another Force trap. It wouldn't do much, but it would delay the troopers a little bit before they figured out how to get around it after the first one stepped through and found himself suddenly asleep.

When I reached the hold, Han and Chewbacca were furiously playing with the control panel. Han was flipping a bazillion switches a second, and the Wookie kept his eyes on some sort of gauge that Han was apparently trying to affect.

"How's this?" he asked again.

There was only a negative bark for a reply.

"Would it help if I got out and pushed?" Leia asked sarcastically, watching them just as avidly as I was.

Not to be outdone, Han fired back, "It might."

"Captain Solo, Captain Solo," called 3PO. "Sir, might I suggest that you – "

Han whirled and gave the protocol droid a withering glare that would have made my old Master proud, if the subject had been Anakin and not 3PO, of course.

If the droid could gulp, I suspect he would have.

"It can wait," he said meekly.

Leia kept the comments going when we finally made it to the cockpit. I used the Force to flip the entrance ramp up, only listening with a half-ear – but at least it was an amusing exchange between the two.

"The bucket of bolts is never going to get us past that blockade," Leia was complaining.

"This baby's got a few surprises left in her, sweetheart." Han wasn't being shaken, apparently.

It made me wonder just exactly how many Imperial entanglements he had been involved him, if the idea of facing the Dark Lord of the Sith didn't faze him.

There was a shout, and we all looked up to see the stormtroopers entering.

Han jumped for the pilot's seat and Leia strapped herself into the navigator's chair. I remained standing; it would harder for me to use the Force against these troopers if I couldn't see them, especially as time was running out for us. But at least that protocol droid kept his mouth shut. I didn't need any more distractions.

Han jabbed at another switch, and a second later there was a loud explosion as a laser gun hidden underneath started firing.

I raised an eyebrow. _Impressive._ Even though it was illegal, it was still impressive.

Chewbacca ran into the cockpit, finally.

"Come on! Come on!" Han urged instantly. "Switch over. Let's hope we don't have a burnout."

Just as a laser bolt hit the window, Chewbacca yanked back on the controls and there was a firing sound as the engines began to kick in. Han flashed the both of us a smug smile, although I knew it was mainly directed as Leia since I kept my face impassive while her disdain was quite clear.

"See?" Han boasted.

"Someday you're going to be wrong, and I hope I'm there to see it," Leia replied darkly.

Han whipped his gaze back to Chewbacca, his boasting done. "Punch it!" he ordered, a thrill of excitement in his voice.

The _Falcon_'s engines roared, and we soared out of the hangar.

And just in time, for a second later I felt the darkness gather when Darth Vader entered the hangar and looked at us. Without hesitating, I reached out to the Force to simultaneously shield everyone's mind while dampening my own presence. Hopefully, it would be enough to make Vader dismiss me as simply another Rebel.

Hopefully.

I closed my eyes and lowered myself into the remaining chair. _Oh, my love, I hope you're having a better time than me. . ._

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
"R2!" I called as I clambered over the ridge. "Get her ready for takeoff."

All the pilots were disengaging from the battle now and getting ready to take off. With the energy shield generator hit and the command center breached, it was time to run, like the Alliance always did until we could regroup and start fighting back again.

"Good luck, Luke," I heard Wedge yell out. "See you at the rendezvous."

I smiled and nodded back before clambering into my own X-wing. R2 was beeping impatiently the whole way, of course.

"Don't worry, R2," I said. "We're going, we're going."

Within less than a minute, the canopy was done, the engine was fired, and we were flying until Hoth was simply a white blur of ice and snow way behind us, swallowed by the brilliance of space and stars.

I leaned back.

Everyone was going to rendezvous. Well . . . not everyone.

Old Ben had told me to go to Dagobah, to seek out this "Yoda" to be my Jedi Master. Granted, he was a ghost and all, but he had never led me wrong. His last directions had helped me finish off the Death Star, at any rate. And his training of the ways of the Force and his gift of my father's lightsaber had saved my life in the wampa cave.

I made my decision.

The stars shifted outside my canopy as I turned the X-wing into a turn before flying in a new direction.

R2 beeped a tentative question.

"There's nothing wrong, R2," I reassured him, still flipping switches. "I'm just setting a new course."

R2 beeped another question.

"We're not going to regroup with the others," I said calmly.

R2 trilled an unbelieving exclamation.

I smiled at his protest. "We're going to the Dagobah system," I announced, setting up the navicomputer to find the coordinates.

There was silence for a bit. Perhaps R2 was too stunned to really make much of a protest. But really, there wasn't much he could do. And I had to admit that I did need a lot more training in the Jedi way than I had right now.

R2 chirped.

"Yes, R2?"

I read the translation and laughed. "That's all right. I'd like to keep it on manual control for a while."

R2 beeped an indignant warning just as my panel flashed a warning about an incoming fighter.

I cursed.

R2 beeped a smug response.

I triggered my fighter to go into combat mode and was about ready to lock the X-wings in formation before there was a crackle of static over the comm. Whoever this person was, they apparently knew my frequency and were attempting to talk to me.

"Hello, Luke. Bit far from the rendezvous point, aren't you?"

I relaxed. "Ben."

"Hmm. Kya told me to keep an eye on you, but I don't think even she expected this." His tone shifted. "So where are you heading to?"

"Dagobah," I answered defiantly.

He didn't scold or lecture or even interrogate me as I had expected. In fact, all he said was, "Let's go then."

I was still staring after his fighter, dumbstruck, when he jumped to hyperspace.


	18. Chapter 16

AN: Apologies to everyone for not posting last week. . . I was caught up with New Year's stuff and didn't have the time. Sorry!

* * *

_**Chapter Sixteen**_

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
"I saw them! I saw them!" Han shouted, obviously harried.

I looked around and didn't see anything. Well, nothing except a concerned, barking Wookie, a harried captain, an unconcerned and impassive Jedi Knight, and, through the viewport, laser fire and stars everywhere.

"Saw what?" I demanded.

Han threw the answer over his shoulder like an order. "Star Destroyers – two of them, coming right at us."

_What?_

Startled, I leaned forward and tried to peer out the cockpit viewport to see whatever they had seen. I knew the Star Destroyers were out there, of course, but if they were that close, something was wrong. Then again, what _hadn't_ gone wrong since we had escaped? I certainly couldn't think of a single thing, except perhaps that we were all onboard – but that wasn't necessarily a good thing either.

3PO bumped his way into the cockpit. "Sir, sir!" he exclaimed. "Might I suggest – "

"Shut him up or shut him down!" Han barked, clearly pushed past his breaking point. "Check the deflector shield!"

Jedi Ranor flicked her hand, and 3PO slammed into the wall, and, miraculously, managed to stay there. He also shut up – momentarily at least. But then again, considering the power the Jedi had at her hand, perhaps it wasn't just Han's threat.

"Oh, great," Han muttered in response to whatever Chewbacca had said. "Well, we can still outmaneuver them."

Finally, I saw the threat: three giant Star Destroyers, twp behind and one in front, closing in on us like jaws of death ready to swallow, smash, and obliterate us. The thought was not at all encouraging, and nor was the four TIE fighters that were still somehow on our tail.

"Dive, Captain Solo!" Jedi Ranor said suddenly, her tone sharp and authoritative.

I looked at her just as the _Falcon_ took a nosedive, just as she had said to do. I was surprised that Han hadn't questioned her – but then again, perhaps he'd thought of the plan too.

As they'd planned, the Star Destroyer wasn't able to get out of the way in time, and it veered straight into the two Destroyers behind us. The explosion was terrific, and I knew it would cause a great deal of damage. Only that made me even less reluctant to grant Han the generous astonishment I felt over the fact that it had actually worked.

Of course, that wasn't the end of things, so as I tried to recover I tried to also be impassive.

"Prepare to make the jump to light-speed," Han ordered.

Finally, 3PO started talking again. "But, sir!"

I could barely hear him over the buffeting of the lasers. They were all around us – or worse, actually hitting us. It was crazy, wild, stupid – any one of those adjectives would work. For Han too.  
"They're getting closer!" I warned.

"Captain Solo – " Jedi Ranor said suddenly, straightening abruptly and opening her eyes for the first time.

"Oh yeah?" Han retorted, cutting across Jedi Ranor, his tone smugly superior. He reached for the lever. "Watch this." Then he pulled it down.

And . . . nothing happened.

"Watch what?" I demanded.

Han seized the lever and yanked it again. Again, nothing happened.

"Look out!" Jedi Ranor said, her tone sharp and the announcement sudden. She half-rose from her chair as she spoke, her hand flung out as though to try and stop the lasers firing at the cockpit by hand.

Eerily, the ship shuddered suddenly, and the laser missed.

"I think we're in trouble," Han said.

"If I may say so, sir, I noticed earlier the hyperdrive motivator has been damaged. It's impossible to go to light-speed!" 3PO cried.

"We're in trouble!" Han decided.

"Go to the hold and try to fix it!" Jedi Ranor ordered. "Leia and I can handle steering for now. But we won't last much longer if we can't get to hyperspace or find a place to hide. Just go! I can steer a ship."

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
I wasn't lying. I _could_ steer the _Falcon_. I had on occasion actually flown in when I had traveled with them in my own universe, teaching Luke how to use the Force to guide his moves and move the controls and fire with accuracy unmatched by any computer. Of course, now wasn't the time for flashy displays, even though I knew that if I closed my eyes and gave myself over to the Force I could easily avoid all of these hits, simply for two reasons.

One, Captain Solo could not fix something if I was flipping the ship right, left, up, down, and upside down as the Force was telling me to.

And two, I could feel Vader behind me, and I didn't think he needed to know a Jedi was aboard this ship. That would only put Leia in greater danger, and my sole object was to protect her at all costs.

Which was why I had sent Ben with Luke to Dagobah.

Just then, there was an enormous lurch as the _Falcon_ hit something and we all were thrown about in our seats.

_What the . . ._

I hadn't seen any lasers . . . but if I opened my Force view any wider Vader would sense me . . .

Leia solved the problem for me.

"Asteroids!" She seized the comlink, activating it so quickly that I could almost believe she had Jedi reflexes. "Han, get up here!" she shouted.

The viewscreen was quickly filled with asteroids, some large, some small, some rolling slowly in their orbits, some tracing a calm path – but all quite big enough to take out the _Falcon_ easily, and too big for me to easily use the Force to divert them or move the _Falcon_ or do much of anything, really.

I cursed under my breath. I knew Leia and Solo and Chewbacca had had a hard time after escaping from Hoth, but I hadn't known it was _this_ bad.

"Asteroids!" Leia said to Solo, who was entering.

They exchanged places, and Chewbacca took my seat. Solo feverishly worked the controls until he finally registered Leia's word and the chunks of rock crossing the viewpoint with frightening rapidity and numbers.

"Oh, no! Chewie, set 2-7-1," he instructed.

I suppressed a sigh as I felt his intention. And I could also feel he had no intention of backing down either. I reached for the Force, just in case, but I hesitated to use it until there was anything wrong.

Leia was already going at Solo anyways.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. "You're not actually going into an asteroid field?"

"They'd be crazy to follow us, wouldn't they?" Han countered calmly.

I sighed again. His logic made sense too. Pity. I could feel Leia's anxiety, and that didn't help Solo's cause at all. But I understood his reasoning.

The ship jolted again.

Leia swallowed silently. "You don't have to do this to impress me."

"Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately three thousand, seven hundred and twenty to one," 3PO interjected helpfully, his metallic voice tinged with concern.

"Never tell me the odds!" Solo declared boldly, flashing Leia a smug sideways glance.

I sighed. I couldn't bash Solo in the head, unfortunately.

And we entered the asteroid belt.

I could feel at least three or four TIE fighters behind us, bobbing and weaving around the asteroids like the _Falcon_, trying to keep up without being smashed into an asteroid – which was, of course, Solo's intent. And that didn't count the Star Destroyer, a mass of bright light forces clouded by controlled darkness – Vader – that was slowly following as well, ready to deploy as many fighters as needed after us.

With a sigh, I reached out and started nudging at the TIE fighters. Messing with the circuitry, or even with the pilot's mind, was almost too easy – my Master had taught me well during the war.

_Just a slight nudge to the left, only a few degrees off course . . ._

And the TIE fighter glanced off an asteroid, spun out of control, and collided to explode in a brilliant stream of fire.

_Done._

Getting rid of the rest of the fighters was childishly easy. And Vader wasn't likely to suspect anything, as to the extent of his knowledge no one here was Force-sensitive or trained, and asteroid belts were notoriously tricky to navigate anyways.

Needless to say, it didn't take long to shake off the rest of our pursuers.

Of course, if the asteroid belts were hard for the small TIE fighters to go around, the _Falcon_ fared much worse. Even Chewbacca sometimes let loose a bark of terror, while 3PO was completely cowed into silence and Leia was stone-faced, her jaw tight and hands tight on the seat. Solo, of course, was trying to maintain his facade.

"You said you wanted to be around when I made a mistake," he said suddenly, "well, this could be it, sweetheart."

"I take it back," Leia breathed with something very close to fear. "We're going to get pulverized if we stay out here much longer."

Solo glanced outside and got an eyeful of even more asteroids. "I'm not going to argue with that."

_A wise choice_, I thought darkly.

"Pulverized?" 3PO repeated shakily, his golden eyes darting from Leia to Solo and back again.

Solo ignored him.

"I'm going in closer to one of the big ones," Solo announced, leaning forward and starting to work the controls with an almost dazed attempt, and I could see that he was distracted by . . . something.

"Closer?" Leia exclaimed.

"Closer?" 3PO repeated.

Chewbacca barked right afterwards, and even without knowing the language I understood.

Solo ignored them all.

I groaned. I could sense his intention, and once again it was reasonable and made sense and I couldn't argue again it.

We hurtled towards one of the bigger ones – not big enough, I knew – but Solo apparently wanted to scope it out anyways. And that was when two more TIE fighters followed us and let loose, stitching lasers left and right and causing explosions all around us.

Without hesitating, I summoned the Force and sent out a mind-numbing wave, enough to make even a Jedi hesitate and clutch their head in a headache.

I was drawn back to the present by 3PO.

"Oh, this is suicide!" the droid wailed.

Solo suddenly nudged Chewbacca, pointing to something outside the viewport. "There. That looks pretty good," he told him.

"What looks pretty good?" Leia asked suspiciously.

"Yeah. That'll do nicely."

Solo was obviously not paying attention to either of them. Which I didn't think would gain him Leia's favor, even though he obviously wanted it. A lot.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but where are we going?" 3PO ventured tentatively.

Just then, I realized what was going on.

Just ahead of the _Falcon_ was an enormous crater, large enough to house the _Falcon_. It was a pretty good hiding spot, I had to admit. And the asteroid it was located in was, fortunately or luckily or whatever you wanted to call it, so large that it ought to prevent any life-scans from properly picking up on us, thermal or otherwise.

We dived into the crater and let the darkness swallow us.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

Leia's voice was calm and regulated, just like a true princess, but there was an undercurrent of fear concealed there.

Solo, apparently, had it too. "Yeah, me too," he muttered in reply.

I sighed, leaned back in the chair, and tried to contain that same fear that was rising in me.


	19. Chapter 17

**_Chapter Seventeen_**

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
I peered the small spots of green vegetation and blue water from my starfighter; it was the only thing I could really see of this planet. I checked the coordinates again. They were right. And yet I got the most foreboding, ominous, dangerous feeling from this little orb of green and blue that were obscured – or, perhaps it was better to say _swallowed_ – by the grey and silver patches of mist and fog that surrounded the entire planet.

"Yes, that's it. Dagobah."  
Even just _saying_ the name gave me a foreboding feeling.

R2 perhaps picked up on the hesitation in my voice, for he beeped a hopeful question that unfolded like clockwork on the screen.

The foreboding feeling vanished, and I almost laughed when I saw his tactic. "No, I'm not going to change my mind about this," I told him, trying to be as confident as possible.

Of course, that was easier said then done.

I glanced at my scanners. "I'm not picking up any cities or technology. Massive life-form readings, though. There's something alive down there. . ."

_Or maybe_, I added silently, _more than one "something" alive down there._

That didn't help.

R2 beeped again.

I chuckled at his question. R2 could always find a way to lift my spirits, even when he wasn't trying to.

"Yes, I'm sure it's perfectly safe for droids," I answered.

There was a small flicker in the Force, and I turned my eyes from the translator to the scanner just in time to see Ben's fighter revert back to realspace. A few seconds later, and Ben was orbiting besides my own fighter just as the comm crackled and sparked to life as he locked on to my frequency and spoke for the first time since we had jumped to hyperspace.

"You beat me."

Ben sounded almost . . . mildly disappointed. But not in a bad way. Not in a great way, either. . . I couldn't decide which.

But he wasn't through yet with speaking.

"So why," he continued, "are you still sitting here orbiting Dagobah?"

"I . . . uh . . ."

I, suddenly, did not have an answer. Or . . . I did. But I felt silly just thinking about it, never mind if I had actually _said_ it. Like, out loud. And to a proper Jedi Knight, who was probably much better at using the Force than I was.

"You are worried?" Ben guessed shrewdly. "I can feel the darkness too, Luke. And the warning." He paused, and I sensed a note of compassion, sympathy, and authority enter his voice. In times like these, I was reminded of why he was a full Jedi and I was not. "But one of a Jedi's greatest tools, Luke, is courage. The courage to do what must be done, what is right. And even though you bear no Padawan braid and have made no lightsaber of your own hands, you are still a Jedi. So – "

" – let's go," I finished.

Ben's words had sparked something in me. They resonated with me, because I knew – with or without the Force – they were right. I had a purpose, and Ben had reminded me of that. I could not turn back every time I felt a warning. I could only prepare and march forward and deal with the cards I was dealt.

_That_ was what made a Jedi.

And if I wanted to be one, I had to at least start acting like one.

I dove towards Dagobah, Ben following at a slower, leisurely pace. I got the sense he wanted me to lead and learn how to deal with things; he could not teach me everything. I had to learn to adapt as well.

I put my full concentration towards my controls and scopes. The clouds of fog and mist almost completely obscured my vision, and the Force warned of all the trees and branches and vines, but so far things were going well, as I didn't hear any collisions and the ship was running smoothly and without error and all my sensors indicated things were fine –

An alarm sounded, shrill and insistent, at the same time there was the snap of tree branches whipping the ship.

R2 squealed in alarm.

"I know, I know!" I shouted back. Frantically, my eyes darted amongst my controls. "All the scopes are dead. I can't see a thing! Just hang on, I'm going to start the landing cycle. . ."

Ben's voice sounded; the comm was about the only thing _not_ killed by Dagobah.

"Calm yourself, Luke," he commanded. "Use the Force. Think."

He sounded like he'd said it more than once. And like I had not paid attention in those occasions either.

"I can't see a thing!" I told him. "I don't have time!"

"Use the Force. Feel. Sense. _Think_. The Force can guide you. It _will_ guide you, if you let it. Calm down, and let it help you. There is no danger."

The advice was kind of shattered by the deafening sound of tree limbs cracking and the squeals of those branches as they scraped against the wings of the fighter. I could sense that land was nearby, not far down – I didn't have the time to calm down, close my eyes, meditate, and _hope_ for an answer on what to do. I had to land _now_, because his teachings would be no use to a dead person.

I fired the retrorockets and started the landing cycle.

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
As soon as we entered Dagobah's upper atmosphere, I felt the Force rise against us. The wave washed over me; I relaxed and let the Force surround me in its soothing presence. The warning, the darkness – it was still there, but it was a pitiful pebble compared to the giant wave of this powerful light reaching out to me now.

And I recognized the Force-signature.

_Master Yoda._

I let his name flow from my own mind to join the wave, and then felt the wave of recognization flow back.

He knew I was a Jedi. And he knew that I knew he was there.

Warning flooded our connection – in effect, he was saying, _Do not reveal me_.

I gave the mental equivalent short nod of agreement before hoisting my shields up. Luke was young and untrained, but he was strong and sometimes instinctively did what took others years to accomplish. And if Master Yoda did not want Luke to know he knew we were here, I would obey his wishes for now.

Besides, it would do Luke good to be tested by the Master without knowing it, for only then would Master Yoda be able to be convinced to actually train the boy – if Luke showed his potential and not the arrogance and impulsiveness of his father.

Which was, in my short experience with Luke, a very big if indeed.

I reached to the Force again and let it swell around me. It directed my landing, it directed my hands, it directed my controls. I had told Luke to just let it flow – for I could not instruct him as I would have instructed a Padawan, for he would not understand – but he had not listened. It was one more thing he had to learn: patience.

I popped my canopy open when I had landed and looked around. The swamp was, as I'd sensed, desolate in appearance, but thriving and dangerous when one saw with eyes aided by the Force, as I did.

As I glanced around, I heard Luke's voice.

"No, R2, you stay put," the boy was saying. "I'll have a look around."

I gathered the Force to me and leaped from my fighter. It was only a few short steps from there to the large lake of a bog where, to my disappointment and shock, Luke's own fighter was landed.

"Luke?" I called.

The boy turned sharply, but then relaxed as he recognized me.

That is, until there was a splash.

"R2?" Luke said, turning back around. When there was no reply, Luke dropped to his knees and started peering into the water frantically. "R2! Where are you?"

I sighed. He _still_ wasn't using the Force. Granted, it was a little harder to sense droids than people or animals, but still . . . It was one of the most elementary Jedi rules that everyone learned: Always use the Force whenever you can. It is part of you, and you are part of it. Learn to let go and become part of it, and only then will be a Jedi.

Luke, it seemed, had no idea of that concept.

_Another thing he must learn._

For the first time, doubt started to creep into my mind. Luke was strong, and young, and powerful – but he was ignorant of some of the most basic and most important Jedi tenets. Like the Jedi Code, for example. And Master Yoda was extremely picky about things like that.

_He might even refuse to train the boy over something like that.  
_ I sighed again. I really did not want to fight someone like Master Yoda over this. But Kya had been so insistent that the boy be trained. . .

Just then, a small periscope broke the surface of the water and a beep, water-loaded and gurgling, resonated throughout the clearing. After a short moment, it started heading towards shore.

Luke was obviously relieved. "R2! You be more careful," he scolded as he headed along the wingtip towards the shore.

I started towards him, carefully picking my way through the vegetation to avoid being tripped and undergoing a very painful and embarrassing fall. Thankfully, the Force was a great tool for avoiding such things.

Then something changed, and my head snapped up as I sensed a rather unpleasant ripple in the Force.

Too late.

The water rippled around the periscope, and then suddenly there was a rather loud clank and another gurgling electronic scream.

Then R2 was gone.

"R2!" Luke shouted. He leaped forwards, his lightsaber ignited and in his hand as he waded in the shallows, looking around desperately for the droid. "R2!"

I groaned, but I still leaped to Luke's side. _Why does this droid _always_ get lost and it's _we_ who have to go looking for him?_ I thought, irritated. I did not, however, ignite my own lightsaber; I didn't think we needed to attract any more attention than we obviously already had. But I dutifully extended my senses towards the lake anyways –

And nothing.

As gently as I could, I said, "Luke, I don't think – "

A bubble appeared.

And then there was a giant sound that was between slurping and spitting, and a metallic, runt-sized _thing_ went shooting out of the water like a laser fired from a , way above our heads in a graceful arc before it tumbled down to the ground in the distance.

Luke and I looked at each other, and then we were off.

We found the droid in seconds.

Luke scrambled to his side in seconds. "Oh, no! Are you all right?" he asked, sounding almost like a father for all I could hear.

But the droid didn't seem damaged – just wet and muddy and perhaps a little worse for wear.

"Come on." Luke pulled the droid to its feet and started wiping the mud and pulling the roots from the metal. "You're lucky you don't taste very good," he muttered almost absently, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Anything broken?"

R2 responded to the query with a few feeble and still soggy beeps, somehow managing to sound at once sorrowful, resentful, and sarcastic at the same time.  
"If you're saying coming here was a bad idea, I'm beginning to agree with you," Luke said with a sigh. He sat back on his haunches and stopped cleaning the droid. "Oh, R2, what are we doing here? It's like . . . something out of a dream – or – or I don't know." He crouched back over the droid and wiped away more mud. "Maybe I'm just going crazy."

_You're not._

But as much as I wanted to say the words, I could not. Master Yoda had asked me not to reveal anything, and so I wouldn't.

So instead I said, "Come, Luke. Let's set up camp. We can get R2 cleaned up better if we're at a camp, and we can probably get a meal down too. Maybe that'll cure you of your craziness," I teased.

"Very funny, Ben."

But he stood as he spoke, and I knew he was agreeing with me.

And yet, when I started to walk off, he caught my arm.

"What?" I asked.

His blue eyes were serious now, almost mirror images of his father's. They . . . unnerved me. A lot.

"You sense it too, don't you?" he asked quietly.

I turned my gaze into the darkness of the swamps, letting the Force flow back to me like a container of water being filled to the brim. But the darkness was still there, and even stronger now that the light that was Master Yoda had retreated.

So I took a deep breath, sighed, and replied quietly, "Yes, Luke. I do."


	20. Chapter 18

It is now the week of the midterm exams for me, and last year, I had the idea for my "midterm marathon" which I shall continue this year. Basically, it means I will post a chapter each day of midterms. So, Day 1 of the Midterm Marathon – the famous ESB scene!

* * *

**_Chapter Eighteen_**

~ _Han Solo_ ~  
When I noticed that 3PO, Leia, and the Jedi were still watching me, I found that suddenly it was very irritating and annoying, so to get them off my back, I announced, "I'm going to shut down everything but the emergency power systems." At least, if they were in the know, they'd stop staring. Well, hopefully.

"Sir, I'm almost afraid to ask, but . . . does that include shutting me down, too?"  
Of course not.

Chewie took one look at my face and barked an immediate "Yes!"

I considered Chewie's view. And yes, I was annoyed at the over-talkative protocol droid who was always in the way somehow. But . . .

"No," I decided regretfully. Shutting down the droid for good would have to wait until things were settled – well, at least for now. I was sure I'd get my opportunity later. "I need you to talk to the Falcon, find out what's wrong with the hyperdrive."

I heard a quiet, almost inaudible sigh, and looked round.

The Jedi was rubbing at her forehead, frowning, but her eyes were completely unfocused, and she had an almost dazed yet tense air around her. Her arms were crossed yet she was leaning against the cockpit with resignation.

I knew that kind of stance.

It was the kind I had, when there was something wrong elsewhere and here, so I was trying to figure out elsewhere so I could figure out here. Like when I'd gotten . . . _tangled_ with the Imperials. I'd had that look trying to figure out both how to get rid of the incriminating spice _and_ explain everything to Jabba. Sorta like trying to focus on two things at once without getting blown up in either. Not a fun experience, I had to admit.

But before I could think on it, the entire ship suddenly lurched.

Loose items went flying, Chewie howled, and the Jedi's eyes were suddenly focused and the look was so completely gone now I had trouble believing it had ever actually existed.

"Sir, it's quite possible this asteroid is not entirely stable," 3PO said nervously.

I stared. "Not entirely stable?" I repeated incredulously. ""I'm glad you're here to tell us these things."

_Stars above, who programmed this bucket of circuits?_ Whoever it was, they seriously needed to upgrade that circuitry. Like, _yesterday_.

3PO seemed ready to retort, so I said quickly, "Chewie, take the professor in the back and plug him into the hyperdrive."

"Oh! Sometimes I just don'y understand human behavior. After all, I'm only trying to do my job in the most – "

_Ah, blissful silence . . . at last_, I grumbled to myself when the droid's rambling was cut off by the rather perfect timing of the door closing. At least now I wouldn't have to fight with my temptation to dismantle him bolt by bolt.

The Jedi straightened suddenly. "I'll see if I can help the droid," she said briefly before slipping out as well.

I blinked. _Wow. That was fast._ I had never seen anyone move so quickly. . .

And then the ship lurched again.

Something slammed into me so hard the breath got knocked out of me, and instinctively my arms snapped around it. If I had had a weapon, it'd be trained on the thing too, but I didn't – and besides, just then I had realized what the missile was: Leia. And I wasn't exactly complaining if I got to hold her because of this, solar plexus bruising or no. . .

But when the ship stopped rumbling, Leia seemed to notice that I wasn't part of the ship.

"Let go," she demanded.

"Sshh!" I said impatiently, listening for any more disturbances – and secretly seeing how long before I had to let go.

"Let go, please."

Red was creeping up her neck as she averted her eyes. Despite her words, her actions weren't matching it. In fact, she wasn't even _pretending_ to struggle free. At all. Which, of course, said a lot more about her than any of her fancy words ever would. Besides, that blush was really giving her true feelings away. . .

So I told her, "Don't get excited."

And the blush went bye-bye.

"Captain, being held by you isn't quite enough to get me excited," she said, a trace of anger in her tone for the first time.

_Whoops._ Screwed up. Again.

Damage control time.

"Sorry, sweetheart. We haven't got time for anything else."

I flashed her a quick grin before turning to exit the door. As I did, though, I was able to catch sight of her reflection just before the door retreated entirely and I had to step out because lingering was out of the question, and the display of confusion on her face was just the icing on the cake.

So.

Perhaps I hadn't screwed up _completely_.

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
For a moment, I could only stare when large, warm hands closed over my own and started to help me pull the lever, which was _still_ refusing to budge even after I had welded it correctly, cooled it down, _and_ thrown my entire body weight against it.

Then my brain kicked in.

"Hey, Your Worship, I'm only trying to help," Han said defensively after I'd pushed him.

"Would you please stop calling me that?" I asked, irritated and not in the mood for anymore verbal tête-à-têtes.

There was a pause, and I started crossing my fingers that he'd go away.

Then –

"Sure, Leia."

I fought the instinctive groan. "Oh, you make it so difficult sometimes," I muttered, wishing Chewie was here to stop him, or perhaps hit him on the head or something.

"I do, I really do," Han agreed, which startled me. But then he continued, "You could be a little nicer, though."

_Great. Now he's lecturing _me_ on the proper etiquette of behavior. As if I needed yet _another_ thing to think about on top of Luke, the Alliance's rendezvous deadline and where we're going to put the new base, and Vader and the rest of the Empire on my tail because the stupid hyperdrive doesn't work. Just lovely._

Han's tone shifted suddenly. "Come on, admit it. Sometimes you think I'm all right."

I let go of the lever – it was a lost cause – and rubbed at my sore hand, thinking. He did kind of have a point. . . "Occasionally," I conceded reluctantly, "maybe . . . when you aren't acting like a scoundrel."

Han threw back his head and laughed. "Scoundrel? Scoundrel?" He shook his head, chuckling. "I like the sound of that."

It was only then, because of the sudden registering of warmth and comfort in my sore hands that had been delivered so subtly and gradually that I hadn't even realized anything was amiss until that point, that I noticed that Han had taken my hands in his own and were . . . he was . . . _massaging_ them.

I tried to pull my hands away, confused. "Stop that," I told him.

Han didn't stop. "Stop what?"

I felt the flush creeping back over my face. _How is he able to _do_ that so easily?_ I was the youngest Senator in the Imperial Senate, able to keep cool in almost any crisis, able to withstand a Sith Lord and a torture droid without letting slip a single piece of information on the Alliance – and here, a low-class, nerf-herder, scoundrel convict got me to lose my cool twice in a single hour merely with a handful of words.

"Stop that! My hands are dirty," I said, trying once again to pull my hands away.

Han held on. "My hands are dirty, too," he pointed out matter-of-factly. "What are you afraid of?"

I blinked. "Afraid?"

Han gave me a sarcastic, searching look.

And held it.

And held it.

And suddenly, I found myself being drawn to him, physically _and_ emotionally.

"You're trembling," Han said suddenly, softly.

Pride had an immediate retort tumbling out of my mouth. "I'm not trembling," I countered, shivering internally.

A glow of triumph lit Han's eyes suddenly; something clicked.

"You like me _because_ I'm a scoundrel," he whispered, almost as though this was the most delicate subject matter ever to be breached in the history of the universe. "There aren't enough scoundrels in your life."

And that was when I knew that the situation was tumbling away from out-of-my-reach to unsalvageable.

_Oh, this can't be good. . . _  
But I wanted it.

Somehow, someway, for some odd reason suddenly beyond my comprehension, I _wanted_ it.

Badly.

_Oh, this really can't be good._

Han suddenly seemed about ten times closer to me than before, and the pull towards him was a hundredfold stronger.

In fact, it took all my remaining strength to mumble out, in one last desperate attempt to try and save the already unsalvageable situation, "I happen to like nice men."

If he hadn't been so close to me, Han would've laughed; I could see it.

"I'm a nice man," he said calmly.

That woke me up a little. Now _I_ laughed – well, more like choked. But I still was able to rightfully insist, "No, you're not. You're – "

And that's when Han kissed me.

Time stretched into eternity now. Every single thought was blown out of my mind, and suddenly I was hot and cold, falling and soaring, empty and full. I was everything. And I was shivering, although from what exactly I didn't know. But . . . it didn't matter. My brain was too stunned to figure out much of anything except that _nothing else mattered_. Han was kissing me, I was kissing him back, and . . . and that was it.

"Sir, sir! I've isolated the reverse power flux coupling."

We both jumped.

Han turned, very slowly, an icy look on his face, to face 3PO. "Thank you. Thank you very much," he said in the voice that told me he was about three seconds away from ripping the droid apart.

"Oh, you're perfectly welcome, sir," 3PO babbled.

I took the opportunity to rip myself away from Han and scram before 3PO said anything else.

But I had barely taken four steps away before I froze.

Kya was standing there.

Her arms were crossed, her sapphire eyes were narrowed, and she was staring straight in my direction. And I didn't doubt that she had seen everything – or, at least, enough to understand exactly what was going on between Han and I.

_Oh, this is really not good. . . _

"Leia," Kya said firmly. "We need to talk."


	21. Chapter 19

So, Day 2 of the Midterm Marathon – we meet Yoda in yet another famous ESB scene.

* * *

**_Chapter Nineteen_**

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
I chewed at my ration bar, only half-paying attention to whatever Luke was doing with R2. We had set up camp not far from where our two ships were, and I had dug a ration bar out while Luke fussed over R2. Meanwhile, I was reaching out to the Force; for some reason, it still felt like Dagobah was a threat, and I wasn't sure why – and _that_ was not a good prospect.

Besides, I was still wondering why in the world the Grand Master would choose such a place for his exile.

Kya had explained everything to me earlier – the Clone Wars, Order 66, the Jedi Purge, the way the remaining Jedi had fled into exile and hid themselves. But it was one thing to hear it and see it in her memories, and quite another to actually _live_ it.

As if reading my mind, Luke plopped down with a sigh and said, "Now all I have to do is find this Yoda . . . if he even exists."

The Force swelled suddenly, gathering with amazing power.

_Master Yoda._

Trying not to tremble, I set my ration bar down. Luke, I knew, had not sensed it, and I would not ruin things by giving the game away.

"You sound like you don't believe my brother," I commented instead, crossing my arms. "Obi-Wan _was_ a bit cracked in the head sometimes; but it was rare that he lied. Especially to his students."

"I know, Ben." Luke shifted restlessly, his gaze roving all over the jungle as if he was itching to get away. "I just . . . I don't know. This is not the place I would have chosen to hide had _I_ been a Jedi Master."

I laughed. "I've seen worse hiding places. And been in them."

Luke turned his gaze to me. "What do _you_ remember about this Yoda?" he asked curiously.

I hesitated. If what Kya had told me was true, then the Master Yoda here would be a great deal different from the Master Yoda I knew just as her Master Obi-Wan Kenobi had been different from me. The long Clone Wars, the clouded Force, the triumph of the Sith Lords, the destruction of the Jedi, the fall of the Republic – they all would have changed this Master Yoda. He would be in almost every way different.

So how could I answer Luke without giving everything away?

If there was one thing Kya and I agreed on, it was that it was not time for him or Leia to know. Not yet.

Finally, I answered cautiously, "He is wise. And different from anything you will expect. That is what makes him such a great Master; he teaches the lesson while giving it, and in some ways he is more memorable than any other teacher. But he can also be very . . . unassuming."

Luke frowned. "How so?"

"Just because we are good at fighting doesn't mean we always go in blasters blazing," I told him. "We were trained extensively in stealth too."

"Hmm."

I uncrossed my arms. "And why wouldn't a Jedi hide in this place?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know." He hesitated, and his gaze grew distant, as though he was listening to the Force. "Still . . . there's something familiar about this place. I feel like . . . I don't know. . ."

"Feel like what?" something croaked behind us.

R2 screeched in surprise. Luke nearly leaped out of his skin, but he swiftly changed the move into a seize-my-lightsaber-and-spin-around-to-look-like-I-have-everything-under-control move.

I turned – and fought to contain my shock.

Sitting a short distance from us on a tree root was a wizened, short, strange green creature. He was under two feet tall, and that was stretching it. He was dressed in bland cream and tan robes – although "rags" was the more appropriate label, I felt – with a gimer stick in one hand. He was cowering against the sight of Luke's lightsaber, to all the world seeming completely terrified of us, and more specifically, afraid of Luke.

_Master Yoda?_

The Force rippled, clear and strong. This _was_ the old Master, no doubt about it.

And yet . . .

And yet, despite all of Kya's warnings, all of her words, all of her memories, I still found myself reeling inside.

_Master Yoda. . ._

He was the greatest Jedi in history, and he had been my first memory in the Temple and one of my greatest teachers, supporters, and confidants. He was one of my greatest role models, alongside Qui-Gon, Master Windu, my friends, and Kya. He was the wisest, the most powerful, and the oldest of all the Jedi –

Reduced to _this_.

Luke was speaking, something along the lines of finishing his earlier sentence. I struggled to get back into the present.

"Away with your weapon! I mean you no harm," Master Yoda croaked.

As he spoke, his green eyes flickered to me and I felt a wave ruffle the Force. He could sense my distress, and he knew that I knew that he could sense it. He wasn't exactly comforting me, because to do that would be to condone it, but he was reminding me that _a Jedi knows no emotion_, a lesson every youngling learned, generally thanks to him.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, gathering the hurt, the confusion, the surprise, and then breathing it out.

I felt his approval, and then I shielded myself. We would talk later.

Luke, reluctantly, clipped his lightsaber back on his belt, crossing his arms and studying Master Yoda as if he was a bug Luke wanted to squash but was unsure of the consequences of doing it.

"I am wondering," Master Yoda continued, "why are you here?"

"We're looking for someone," Luke answered shortly.

I concealed a sound that was halfway a laugh and halfway a sigh. So. Luke _still_ hadn't learned to use the Force to sense out everything and everyone around him. For if he had, I was pretty sure he would have ventured a guess as to this "creature's" identity. Or he could at least be more respectful.

"Looking?" Master Yoda repeated with another laugh. "Found someone, you have, I would say, hmmm?"

"Right."

Master Yoda hobbled forward a step, pretending to start to emerge from his nervousness when in fact he was calmer than even I was. "Help you I can," he offered. "Yes, mmmm."

Luke all but snorted. "I don't think so. I'm looking for a great warrior."

Pride suffused his voice as he spoke; it was clear that despite all my words, Luke still believed that a Jedi's greatest skill lay in his ability to fight, and fight better than anyone else could. Master Yoda's eyes met mine briefly as he hobbled closer, and I could see the same thought mirrored in his eyes.

"Ahhh! A great warrior." He paused, to shake his head and give a weary laugh. "Wars not make one great."

Master Yoda moved over to the one of the supply cases and began to rummage around. R2 squeaked his disapproval as Master Yoda then picked up Luke's ration bar and took a big bite out of it, which caught Luke's attention.

"Put that down. Hey!" He snatched the bar from Master Yoda's hand. "That's my dinner."

Master Yoda spat out the bite. "How you get so big, eating food of this kind?" he asked, disgusted, before returning to rummage through more of the cases.

"Listen, friend," Luke said impatiently, "we didn't mean to land in that puddle, and if we could get our ship out, we would, but we can't, so why don't you just – "

"Aww, cannot get your ship out?" Master Yoda interrupted teasingly.

I suppressed a laugh as Luke, finally, lost patience and snatched the entire case away. Of course, Master Yoda was not to be defeated so easily; he held on to the tiny power lamp he had snatched and continued to rummage through the items, occasionally tossing one rejected item after another over his shoulder.

"Hey, you could have broken this. Don't do that. Ohhh . . . you're making a mess," Luke exclaimed in annoyance, rushing after the flying items.

I turned away. If I didn't control myself now, I'd laugh and ruin everything.

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
"Hey, give me that!"

I reached out for the power lamp the green creature had grabbed; it retreated, clutching at the lamp. I fought the instinct to groan, run forward, grab the stupid creature, and shake it until it fled in fear. I was _done_ with all this meddling around – I wanted to either find Yoda and start training or find out that he wasn't here, leave, and go back to the Alliance.

"Mine!" the creature shrieked. "Or I will help you not."

"I don't want your help. I want my lamp back," I retorted. "I'll need it to get out of this slimy mudhole."

"Mudhole? Slimy?" The creature actually sounded _offended_ at that. "My home this is."

Just then, R2 seized the lamp, and the creature and him went at it in a tug-of-war that seemed almost equal. The creature yelped as R2 beeped angrily, but it only tugged harder as R2 and he both refused to let go.

"Oh, R2, let him have it," I sighed.

The creature grabbed his stick and started whacking R2 with it. "Mine! Mine!" it chanted.

"R2," I said warningly.

"Mine!" the creature added with another furious whack.

R2 let go, albeit grudgingly. The creature reached over and playfully closed the section where R2 had displayed his grappling, and with a started squeal, R2 retreated.

"Now will you move along, little fella?" I asked, irritated and tired beyond measure. "We've got a lot of work to do."

I didn't expect the creature to start protesting.

"No! No, no!" he exclaimed. "Stay and help you, I will." He laughed. "Find your friend, hmm?"

I surppressed a snort. _A _friend_? Yoda is no friend._ "I'm not looking for a friend, I'm looking for a Jedi Master."

The creature's eyes grew big. "Oohhh. Jedi Master. Yoda. You seek Yoda," he said, his tone hushed and almost reverent for the first time, as though he was as faithful, worshipping disciple of some sort.

Nevertheless, my interest was piqued.

"You know him?"

"Mmm." The creature nodded. "Take you to him, I will," he promised. Then he laughed again, and the reverence left his tone. "Yes, yes. But now, we must eat. Come. Good food. Come."

With that, the creature waltzed out of the clearing, still laughing, and waving his lamp from time to time, calling, "Come, come."

I stared after the creature. Was it crazy? I wasn't going to leave camp just so that it could . . . well . . . if it knew Master Yoda. . . Maybe. . . That was my whole goal in coming here. . .

Movement at the corner of my eye caught my attention; Ben had stood and was staring expectantly at me. With a pang, I realized that for this entire encounter he had been so still and quiet I had nearly forgotten him altogether, for I was used to being alone and he hadn't participated in our little, ah, discussion.

"Well?" he asked quietly.

I knew of what he spoke immediately.

"I . . . What do you think?" I said instead. I wasn't a full Jedi, after all, and surely Ben would know the truth. . .

Ben looked faintly amused. "This is your quest and your training, Luke," he told me. "And therefore, I am here merely to help guide you; I cannot lead. That, you must do. It is part of being a Jedi Padawan, and part of leaning to be a Jedi Knight. No, Luke. You must decide what path you will take. I can only give advice."

I stared at the creature. I didn't have any foreboding feeling; in fact, it had lifted, surprisingly, shortly after the creature had wandered in.

And if it meant ill, well . . . I had a lightsaber. And Ben was here too.

"Let's go," I decided. "Stay here and watch after the camp, R2."


	22. Chapter 20

Well, today was a snow day, but it's still the midterms, and I didn't want to randomly not post, so I guess I'll call this the Snow Day Special. Cheesy, I know. But, hey, I couldn't think of anything else. So . . . yeah! Read on!

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty_**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
"I . . ." Leia floundered, clearly caught off guard by my appearance. That was enough, it seemed, to derail her ability to lie or make excuses.

I sighed. Pity. But she could not lie to me. I had seen everything already. And even if I hadn't, well, this galaxy followed the same fate as my birth one, and I had clearly seen the affection between Solo and Leia that time. Now, the only difference was that I was seeing its birth and blooming, for before I had seen only its strength.

"Leia." With one word, I cut off her stammering. "I have not come to criticize you, you know."

She blinked. "But . . . then why . . ."

"Why?" I repeated with a laugh. "Are you asking me why I do not criticize you or questioning why I bothered to tell you I wished to talk to you if I did not wish to criticize you?"

"Both, I think."

She had recovered; now she stood with the air of one ready to fight. Her brown eyes still held traces of the question, but they also held the steel and willpower I remembered seeing so often in her mother's eyes.

_It is a pity she will never know. . . For I remember how she admired Padmé so much when she was younger._

I crossed my arms. "First off, I do not think that every conversation must require criticizing of you, Leia; I believe you have done well so far with the burdens you have had to carry," I said. "If there is anything I would give you in a conversation, it would be advice, not a lecture. As to not criticizing you . . . I see no point. My own Master criticized me when I fell in love too, but that did little."

Leia blinked. "Master?"

"That is what Jedi apprentices call their teacher. It is a title, like how you called Senator Organa 'Father'," I replied.

She gave me strange glance. "You don't seem like the type to – "

" – fall in love?" I finished. I smiled sadly. "Leia, when did _anyone_ seem like the type of fall in love? It is not the most predictable thing, you know, and you cannot control it."

For a second, silence reigned.

I stared at Leia, and she stared right back at me, her brown eyes unwavering, her stance strong. She would not surrender, I saw – at least, not to me. She wanted to make her own decisions, and even though she was confused on this matter, she still did not want me to govern her in it. Guide, perhaps, and maybe even advise or critique – but decide for her? No.

_She has Anakin's stubborn spirit as well_, I realized grimly. _Ah, the battles the two of them might have had had he not turned. . ._

"Is this what you meant to tell me?"

I spread my hands. "Make of it what you will. All I wish for _you_ to know, Leia, is that love is different for everyone, and only you can decide how and whether it will make you happy. And I will not try to determine things for you. Only you can walk your path."

She tilted her head, her eyes still fierce. "So what do you plan to do then?"

"Guide you. And protect you. But Jedi do not fight the wars of others, and, my dear, your love is your own war to fight."

Leia's gaze trembled slightly, and she almost lowered it.

My words had shaken her yet again. She had not expected me to do or say this.

But then again, the only other Jedi she had ever met was perhaps this universe's Obi-Wan Kenobi. And he and I were as dissimilar as a tree was a seedling. He followed the Code, even unto the moment of his death; I defied it with every moment of my life, as my daughter and my husband were ample proof.

Leia didn't need to know any of that, of course. And I had no intention of telling her.

For the Force still told me, _She does not need to know. Not yet._

"You could have been a politician," she said finally, her voice a bit dry. "You argue like my father did."

For a second, I was thrown. Anakin had hated politics. Ben had always been the talker, the one who carried the blade of a warrior but the words of a negotiator. Even though he had not faced the Clone Wars as my Master had, his reputation for negotiation was still strong, for even though the Sith were gone in my galaxy, there were still times of tension and battle – and times when the Jedi were called in to fight as well as speak.

Then I remembered – _Her father is Bail Organa. Not Anakin._

_She will not accept Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader as one and the same, and therefore her father, for some time after she knows_, the Force whispered to me. _But you are not the one to reveal that to her._

_No. I'm not._

For not the first time in my life, I was grateful for the guidance of my Lady Mother, even though she technically wasn't allowed to make any major interference because I was training to be a Walker in my own right.

"Perhaps," I replied, trying to conceal how she had confused me. "But your father received formal training; I merely go for the most unsettling thing I can think of and from there go by feel based on what I'm sensing of my opponent's emotions."

"Emotions?"

"The Force," I said simply.

"Oh." Leia sat down. "I wish I could do that."

"Maybe one day."

Leia gave me a half-amused, half-exasperated glance. "I'm not five years old," she reminded me. "I know Luke has powers I never will."

_Don't be so sure._

"Maybe and maybe not." I shrugged. "One never knows where the future will lead."

"I know where my path lies, Master Jedi, and it is _not_ with the Jedi. I need to help rebuild the Republic first."

This time, I had to literally bite my tongue to keep myself from speaking.

I straightened. "Well, I think I'll give you some time to think. . . These matters are never easily resolved. Good luck, Leia."

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
Absently, I ran my hand over the control panel. I wasn't really paying attention though. My mind was almost entirely occupied by the thoughts of three people – Luke Skywalker, Kya Ranor, and Han Solo.

Luke – He was so sweet, yet at the same time there was a deadly air around him; he wasn't the boy who had blown up the Death Star for nothing. And he had lost his uncle, aunt, and old life on Tatooine to the Empire but three years before. I liked him, I really did, but I knew that I had also been rather mean to him when I had used him, kissing him without really meaning it simply to hurt Han. I had to admit, much as I liked Luke, I did not love him.

Kya – She confused me. She was a Jedi Knight, and that was clear from every move she had ever made. Until now. If there was one thing I knew about Jedi, one thing Sabé had taught me, it was that Jedi were not allowed to love. And yet . . . And yet, she had almost outright acknowledged that she had broken that vow, that she did love someone. It made me wonder just _who_ she had been speaking about.

Han – He at once repulsed and attracted me. He was a scoundrel and a smuggler through and through. He had had no hesitation about letting us know that he was only helping to pay off Jabba the Hutt, but at the same time, he had come back to help out during the Battle of Yavin without us dangling more rewards in his face. And he hadn't started bargaining for anything for helping the Alliance by getting me out, or serving in the war for the past three years.

Kya was right.

I needed a _lot_ of time to think about this.

Suddenly, something flickered at the corner of my vision. Startled, I looked up – but there was nothing. Very slowly, I stood and leaned closer.

I jumped when a tan suction cup attached itself to the viewport.

Then I screamed when large yellow eyes suddenly flashed open to stare at me. I stumbled backwards, scrambling for a weapon even though I knew I couldn't shoot it, but by then, with a scurry of feet and a screech to match my scream, the eyes were gone.

I ran out of the cockpit.

"I'm not really interested in your opinion, 3PO," Han was saying rudely as I rushed in.

"There's something out there," I blurted.

Kya looked sharply at me, and as her eyes narrowed, I saw her hand stray to the metal hilt at her side.

"Where?" Han demanded.

"Outside, in the cave."

Then I jumped again when there was a sharp banging on the hull. _Stars above, what _is_ that?_ I wondered anxiously, trying to control my fear.

"There it is. Listen! Listen!" 3PO sounded even more hysterical than me.

Han grunted, stood, and grabbed his blaster. "I'm going out there," he announced.

I stared. "Are you crazy?"

"I just got this bucket back together," Han retorted, seizing a breathing mask. "I'm not going to let something tear it apart."

I heard a soft sigh, and then suddenly Kya was beside me, her lightsaber in hand and a breathing mask in her hand. She seemed to have decided to go out as well, and when she shot me a questioning look, it gave me an idea.

"Then I'm going with you," I said, grabbing my own mask.

3PO babbled something, but we were already leaving the ship, Han in the lead with his blaster ready and me bringing up the rear.

The cave was huge, dark, and dank.

The second I set foot outside the ship, something seemed wrong. I couldn't say what, but the feeling still persisted. I could see from Han's face that he felt the same, and even Kya seemed slightly unnerved.

I stamped my foot. "This ground sure feels strange. It doesn't feel like rock at all," I said slowly.

Han knelt, studying first the ground and then the cave outline.

"There's an awful lot of moisture in here," he observed.

I hadn't realized that. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this."

"Yeah."

"Captain Solo!" Kya said sharply, and then suddenly there was a strange _snap-hiss_ – and a blue bar of energy sprouted in her hand.

At the sound, a five-foot-long tan shape appeared in the gloom from where it had been perching somewhere on the _Falcon_ and flew at us, screeching defiantly with its large yellow eyes fixed on the lightsaber in Kya's hand.

"Watch out!" Han called to me, before letting loose with his blaster at the thing.

It fell with a thud at our feet.

Han knelt to examine it and then nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Mynock," he explained to me, noticing my confused look. "Chewie, check the rest of the ship, make sure there aren't any more attached. They're chewing on the power cables."

"Mynocks?" I repeated in surprise.

"Go on inside. We'll clean them off if there are any more."

But before I could even take a step, a whole swarm of mynocks swept at us, screeching and flapping. I instinctively put my hands up, shielding my face in a futile attempt as I ran towards the _Falcon_. Behind me, I could hear Chewbacca and Han shooting at the mynocks – and then, suddenly, Kya was beside me, her lightsaber flashing as it sliced the mynocks out of the air. With her there, no other mynocks touched me as we both ran into the ship.

Just then, the entire cave shook; I nearly fell to the floor, but Kya seized my arm to stop me.

Han and Chewbacca charged into the ship moments later.

Kya sighed, and I hurried after them. They were already in the cockpit by the time we caught up to them.

"All right, Chewie, let's get out of here!"

"The Empire is still out there," I protested. "I don't think it's wise to – "

"No time to discuss this as a committee," Han interrupted, brushing past me without so much as a second glance.

"I am not a committee!" I shouted angrily, racing after him and trying not to fall down or bump into walls too much despite the heaving and shaking of the ship. Thankfully, I didn't get bruised too hard the times I did bump into anything.

Han was already in the pilot's chair, firing the main engines, when I burst into the cockpit.

I started my attack immediately. "You can't make the jump to light-speed in this asteroid field – "

"Sit down, sweetheart. We're taking off!" Han said with an air of finality.

As we started to move, the oddest scene filled the viewport.

Chewbacca barked.

3PO called, "Look!"

And Kya said warningly, "Captain Solo – "

"I see it, I see it!" Han cut her off in a harried tone, fiddling with the controls and making me roll my eyes at his attempt to brush the Jedi's rather legitimate warning off. Han was good – but sometimes, he needed to take other people's advice.

"We're doomed!" 3PO wailed.

I stared at the row of stalagmites and stalactites that lined the entrance. For some reason, the entrance seemed smaller, or perhaps that was because the cave was shaking and shrinking at the same time.

"The cave is collapsing," I realized.

But Kya was shaking her head suddenly, a gleam of understanding in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak –

And Han beat her to it.

"This is no cave," he told me grimly.

"What?"

Then I realized . . . those stalagmites and stalactites weren't stalagmites and stalactites at all.

They were teeth.

A space slug. An enormous one. We had landed in a _space slug_.

I fought the shudders as the _Falcon_ spun through the opening. It was only after we shot out into space that I realized that I had been holding my breath the entire time, silently praying that we'd make it and not get eaten.

Kya leaned back with a sigh. "Now what, Captain Solo?"


	23. Chapter 21

Day 3 of my Midterm Marathon! Luke finally meets the "great warrior" Master Yoda.

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty-One_**

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
"Look, I'm sure it's delicious," I repeated patiently for the third time as the weird, wizened, hobbling green creature handed me a bowl and gestured to the steaming pot over the fire. "I just don't understand why we can't see Yoda now."

Dimly, I thought I heard Ben choke off a snort.

"Patience!" the creature scolded. "For the Jedi it is time to eat as well. Eat, eat. Hot. Good food, hm? Good, hmm?"

With a sigh, I scrambled slowly to the pot. This hut was small, rundown, and surprisingly homely. It sort of reminded me of my home on Tatooine. Only it was about ten times smaller, because I'd already hit my head on the top a dozen times at least. Carefully, I scooped out some of the bubbling green-gray concoction and hesitatingly tasted it.

The second it touched my tongue, I made a face. It was so . . . strange. Not _bad_ strange, just strange.

"How is it?" Ben murmured, suddenly appearing at my side.

I jumped and spilled some of the nasty stuff.

"Sorry, Luke."

I scowled at him as I swiped at my shirt and tried to rub the mixture off without letting the creature see. And I could have sworn that I caught the flash of a grin on Ben's face. He was shorter than me, but how he possibly could maneuver so silently and gracefully was beyond me.

"Show off," I muttered.

Then I turned to the creature. "How far away is Yoda? Will it take us long to get there?" I asked.

The creature merely replied, with an almost condescending tone, "Not far. Yoda not far. Patience. Soon you will be with him"

I scowled again. _Patience, patience, patience. That's all they ever tell me._

"Rootleaf, I cook," the creature explained, gesturing at the pot.

Ben coughed quietly, and I saw him gently set the bowl down. He had just been about to take a taste too. "Well, that explains the smell," he said. "I should have known better than to trust Yoda's cooking."

I turned to him, and opened my mouth to ask him what he remembered about Yoda, as this creature was not as forthcoming –

"Why wish you become Jedi? Hmm?" the creature interrupted abruptly, his tone one of absent interest.

I pushed around the contents of my own bowl, suddenly self-conscious. No one had ever asked me that before. Old Obi-Wan had almost pushed me into training to be a Jedi. Han had simply rolled his eyes at it. Leia had accepted it from the moment she saw me. No one had ever asked _why_ before, just _what_.

But I was still proud. My father had been a Jedi before me. I doubted many could claim such a status.

"Mostly because of my father, I guess," I answered.

The creature paused in his ministrations to the pot of rootleaf, and for a second, I thought I saw a flash of . . . sadness? . . . flash across his face. "Ah, your father. Powerful Jedi was he, powerful Jedi, mmm," he murmured.

My head snapped up. _Why would he be sad? Actually, how dare he be sad? He knows nothing about me, or my father!_

"Oh, come on. How could you know my father? You don't even know who I am," I snapped, frustrated finally beyond control. I slammed my bowl down with a huff, completely fed up with this creature's antics and condescension.

"Oh, I don't even know what I'm doing here. We're wasting our time," I grumbled, with half a mind to get up and leave.

And I had almost done it to, until –

"I cannot teach him. The boy has no patience."

I stared at the creature, who had spoken for the first time with irritation and resignation in its voice. It was facing away from me now . . . but there was no one there. Even Ben seemed slightly confused.

_Who is it talking to?_

"He's crazy," I murmured to Ben. "Can we leave?"

I started to stand – and Ben grabbed my arm, yanking me back down.

"No, Luke," he said.

"And why – "

Suddenly a voice rang out, clear and strong . . . and so familiar that I could have cried, because he sounded like he was actually _alive_.

"He will learn patience."

My heart jumped. _Old Obi-Wan!_ I couldn't leave now.

"Hmmm. Much anger in him, like his father," the creature countered.

Old Obi-Wan did not waver. "Was I any different when you taught me?" he asked, his tone calmly reasonable yet clearly one of disagreement.

"Hah." The creature snorted, not amused and definitely not swayed. "He is not ready."

The feeling that had been growing in me since I had heard Ben's voice suddenly clicked. Suddenly _everything_ clicked – Ben's silence and refusal to guide me when we had met this creature; the reason why the creature had asked so many questions; the reason why the creature had acted like he was insane even though know he showed that he was perfectly sane and could talk perfectly normal.

It wasn't just "the creature".

It was . . . _He_ was . . .

"Yoda!" I gasped, the revelation only seeming to make sense when I spoke it.

The creature – It – Master Yoda turned.

I was still gaping from my realization – but I knew that I _had_ to train. Being a Jedi was my destiny. I had to get trained by Master Yoda.

"I am ready," I argued. "I . . ."

But Master Yoda only gave me sad, almost exasperated look.

Desperately, I called out for another ally, "Obi-Wan! I can be a Jedi. Obi-Wan, tell him I'm ready." As I spoke, I stood, trying to catch a glimpse of him –

And hit my head on the ceiling.

With a groan, I sank back into my seat. At my side, Ben stirred for the first time since this whole conversation had started, and seconds later I felt his touch at my aching head. Something fluttered in the Force, and then the pain started to dim.

"Ready, are you?" Master Yoda snapped from the other side of the hut, glaring fiercely at me.

I felt myself shying away from him. In just three words, I was finally beginning to realize just why Ben, Kya, and Obi-Wan had held Master Yoda in such high esteem.

"What know you of ready?" Master Yoda continued. For eight hundred years have I trained Jedi. My own counsel will I keep on who is to be trained! A Jedi must have the deepest commitment, the most serious mind."

He whirled back around and said to Obi-Wan, "This one a long time have I watched. Never his mind on where he was. Hmm? What he was doing. Hmph. Adventure. Heh! Excitement. Heh!" With each exclamation of disgust, he slammed his stick into the ground and then glared at me. "A Jedi craves not these things." He turned back to me with a blistering glare-and-voice-combo that could've melted the surface of Hoth. "You are reckless!"

I looked down. It was true. All true.

Ben squeezed my shoulder gently, and I could feel his compassion.

And Obi-Wan wasn't down arguing for me either. "So was I, if you'll remember," he told Master Yoda.

Master Yoda snorted. "He is too old. Yes, too old to begin the training," he said with an air of finality.

And yet . . .

And yet there was _something_ in his voice that hadn't been there before.

The Force whispered to me, and I followed my instinct.

I said quietly, "But I've learned so much."

Master Yoda turned his piercing gaze back on me, his green eyes at once narrowed and huge. He seemed like he was on the verge of making a final decision – and diagnosing my every past move, every single decision, and every passing thought. As if he could see to the core of my very soul.

Finally, he sighed.

"Will he finished what he begins?" he asked, with so much weariness in his voice that for the first time he seemed to feel the weight of his losses over his eight hundred years.

The sadness was so pronounced that I just _had_ to jump in –

"I won't fail you," I swore. "I'm not afraid."

For a long moment, there was silence. I couldn't even hear a single breath from any of us. This was the critical moment – the moment that would decide whether Master Yoda would give in and train me or turn me away and I would have to keep begging and hope he would change his mind in the distance future.

Then, Master Yoda turned to me, oh so slowly, and said, very softly, yet with the utmost belief, "Oh, you will be. You will be."

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
I ducked outside the hut and looked around. I could feel Master Yoda nearby; the coiled maelstrom of energy that was him in the Force was easy to locate, even easier than Luke's own whirlwind. But then again, Luke was sleeping right now, and that was the only reason why I was now stirring to confront Master Yoda. I knew he would want an explanation.

Finally, I spotted the aged Master sitting on a tree root, gazing over the swamp in the direction of Luke's fighter.

"Master Yoda," I greeted when I came to stand by him.

For a second, he did not say anything.

"Unexpected, the will of the Force is. Learn to expect the unexpected, a Jedi must. Yet even this, I find myself questioning." Master Yoda turned to me. "What I sense around you, never have I sensed before."

I kept my face impassive. "I know, Master Yoda." I sighed. "It is nothing new for me . . . or for the others."

Master Yoda gave no outward sign of interest, but I could feel the sharpening power of the Force bearing down on me. He did not think me a threat or an ally _yet_. He was withholding judgment, waiting until the mud settled and the waters cleared.

"Others?" he repeated quietly.

"Yes. In particular, my . . . partner, I suppose you would call her," I said with difficulty, scrambling to conceal the truth. "Her name is Kya Ranor. She is a Jedi Knight, like me, but she is . . . different."

Master Yoda pointed out gravely, "Different, every Jedi is."

"I know, Master Yoda." I rubbed at my forehead. "It's very difficult to explain. . . She is not just a Jedi. She is more than that. She is a Walker, a child of the Force, sworn to keep the balance and the peace between not just worlds and galaxies, but universes. Right now, her mission is to help Anakin . . . Vader . . . whatever he is called now – her mission is to help him find his way back to the light and fulfill his destiny as the Chosen One. For that, she will need the help of his children, and so she asked me to watch over Luke until that time. I am not his Master; I leave his training in your hands. I am not so arrogant to think that I can train two apprentices at once."

"An apprentice you have?"

"Yes. But not here. She is back . . . home, back in the Temple."

Master Yoda's eyes narrowed. "Destroyed nearly two decades ago, the Temple was. Of what Temple do you speak?"

I sighed and leaned against another tree. I had wished to avoid this. . . But perhaps he should know. He would need to know, in the end, because Jedi could see through lies as one saw through air. Despite my best efforts, I would never be able to conceal the truth of my relationship to Kya and where we came from Master Yoda.

"Master Yoda, this I tell you in the strictest confidence – in the wrong hands, it could cause more devastation than perhaps ten times worth of the Clone Wars."

I waited until he had made a small nod of understanding before I continued.

"Kya and I . . . We do not hail from this universe," I revealed. "There are . . . many, many, many universes, all copies, I suppose, of each other, all with the same characters dancing to the same tune of the Force and following the same path of fate. The Obi-Wan Kenobi you spoke with earlier – he and I are, essentially, copies of each other, and would have followed the same fate . . . but for Kya. She, as a Walker, has the power to _alter_ the way of fate – which is exactly what she did. She helped us slay Darth Maul, the Sith Lord that Qui-Gon Jinn and Kenobi faced at Naboo, and then she helped us bring down Sidious before things got so bad. So, even though we spring from the same roots, I _am_ different from the Obi-Wan Kenobi here." I paused for a second, trying to collect my racing thoughts. "Our mission here will be to try to do the same here, to help Anakin choose the right path."

Master Yoda was silent, and I could feel the Force thrumming around him. He was trying to seek out lies.

I knew why, and I relaxed and allowed him to probe the edges of my consciousness. I could not expect him to accept such a wild story lest I offered him some time to absorb the story and process it.

Finally, he said, "So sure of success are you? Tried to turn back Vader, many have, and failed they all have. Died in the attempt, even, some have."

I met his eyes without flinching. "I know of Padmé Amidala's attempt in this galaxy, and of her death – but I tell you, where I come from, Padmé is alive, and thriving, and lives a happy life.

"But I also tell you, Kya cannot stand for anything _but_ success. Because if she fails, she will not only lose her chance at the mission to prove she is ready to become a true Walker – this is like the Trials of a Jedi Knight to her – she will also lose her life. The Force will consume her, mind and soul, and she will die. If she . . . If _we_ cannot do this, then you will face a galaxy that will see far, far, _far_ worse than any bloodshed, any betrayal, any death in the Clone Wars. And so . . . And so I ask for you help, Master Yoda. We need it."

For a long time, there was only silence, and silence was only interrupted by a squeak or a roar or a whish here and there. I held my breath. I needed Master Yoda's understanding and cooperation here – perhaps, even his guidance as well.

Then, finally, he noted, "A grave risk, you take. Yet for the benefit of all it is taken. My support you have."

I bowed. "Thank you, Master Yoda."

I was just ducking back through the door of the hut when Master Yoda spoke again.

"Wait, young Kenobi."

I turned. "Yes?"

Master Yoda's green eyes were narrowed again, and an almost painful revelation was burning in them. "Learn to control your feelings and your fear for your wife, you must, or the only outcome, failure is."

I stared, stunned.

Part of me was just amazed at the depth of his perception – as I was always amazed. But then again, Master Yoda was not the Grand Master of the Order for nothing. And I had hinted at the ways things stood between Kya and I quite clearly when I had called us partners, for what else was marriage but the union of people as partners for life?

And yet, at the same time, the other part of me wasn't amazed at all.

Because I knew, with the same sickening certainty that I saw in his eyes, that he was dead right.


	24. Chapter 22

Day 4 of my Midterm Marathon! Time to go to Bespin. . .

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty-Two_**

~ _Han Solo_ ~  
I practically hunched over the controls as I wove the _Falcon_ through as many elaborate maneuvers as I could possibly ever recall from the depths of my brain to avoid the combination of rotating asteroids and firing Star Destroyers. It wasn't easy, at all, even though I strove to make it seem easy.

"Oh, thank goodness we're coming out of the asteroid field," I heard 3PO sigh.

I fought the urge to let go of the controls and commit suicide just to have the sweet victory of hearing that stupid droid shut up.

And as if she knew what I was thinking, Jedi Ranor suddenly cut in. "Concentrate, Captain Solo." Her voice was like duracrete – no emotion, just pure strength and cutting power. She was so different from the old fossil. But at least one change was good about that: no more Jedi mumbo-jumbo.

We got hit by another bolt.

The _Falcon_ tilted, almost careening into the path of another bolt, but with a hard yank on the controls, it slowly righted.

More bolts screamed our way, but I was down playing. _Time to go._

"Let's get out of here. Ready for light-speed?" I asked my crew, tossing the calmest grin I could muster. Without waiting for an answer, I continued. "One . . . two . . . three!"

On _three_, I pulled back on the hyperspace throttle and prepared to release the breath I had been holding –

Except nothing happened.

Bolts continued to pepper the ship, and there was no sense of weightlessness as we rocketed into hyperspace, and there were certainly no stretching starlines to light up our journey as we traveled.

It hadn't worked. My repairs hadn't worked.

"It's not fair!" I exclaimed, as if telling the galaxy that would somehow make everything work.

Chewie started howling and growling and barking, but for once I ignored my best friend and copilot and instead reset everything and yanked back on the throttle again, praying and praying and praying it would work, just this once, when we needed it most. . .

Nothing happened.

Frantically, I scanned the controls, ticking off my mental list. "The transfer circuits are working," I mumbled, partially to myself and partially for everyone else. "It's not my fault!"

Chewie whined.

"No light-speed?" Leia asked. Her tone wasn't one of sarcasm, but almost weary resignation.

I insisted, "It's not my fault."

Another barrage of bolts thundered around us like we were a helpless hatching caught in a firestorm of energy. The ship shuddered, jumped, and jolted, and in return, controls started lighting up red as alarms started their quiet wailing, warning of this failure and that damage and everything else that had gone wrong alongside our repairs to the hyperdrive generator.

"Sir, we just lost the main rear deflector shield. One more direct hit on the back quarter and we're done for," 3PO informed me, outright alarm in his voice.

_Why is it always me?_ I lamented. Ever since I had signed up with that old fossil and Luke, things had been going downhill for me. And I _still_ hadn't paid off Jabba as I'd planned to.

I paused, eyeing the Star Destroyers and trying to come up with anything that would help us get out of this.

For a second, my eyes went to their guns, evaluating their strengths and weaknesses, looking for that one point where a single good shot would blow them to pieces and cripple the rest, giving us the opportunity to –

But no. To get that close would be to get stuck in a tractor beam. And even if we didn't, it wasn't like there was only _one_ Star Destroyer we had to blow the cannons off of.

A blast rocked the entire ship, and for a second I was disoriented.

"You can't win, Captain Solo," Jedi Ranor said suddenly, and so quietly that I didn't really understand how I had even heard it in the first place.

Now, _that_ sounded familiar. But why . . .

Suddenly, everything clicked.

With a grin, I finished the advice. "But there are alternatives to fighting," I muttered to myself, eyes scanning the ships not for weaknesses and blow-up targets, but something else, something even _better_. . .

I spotted a patch on the bridge that was just the right spot and coloring.

And there I made my decision.

"Turn her around," I ordered to Chewie, already kicking in the rear thrusters and reaching back to the controls.

Chewie barked at me with a puzzled expression and equally puzzled expression.

"I said turn her around!" I repeated angrily. "I'm going to put all power in the front shield."

Surprise took the place of resignation. I knew what everyone was going to think, but I also knew that they were wrong, and if this _worked_, we might actually get out of here, at least alive, if not in one piece. It was my best shot. And if it didn't work . . . well, there was always my Plan B – go out with guns blazing in every direction and take as many of the blasted Imperials with me as I possibly could.

Yep, that sounded about right.

And sure enough, Leia exclaimed in horror, "You're going to attack them?"

"Sir, the odds of surviving a direct assault on an Imperial Star Destroyer – " 3PO started to chime in.

I opened my mouth, but Leia beat me to it with a fierce "Shut up!"

In my mind, I thanked whatever gods, whatever fate, whatever . . . mystical energy field that controlled my destiny for having fallen for a princess who was cute, smart, _and_ able to kick someone's butt.

"Down!" Jedi Ranor said suddenly.

Without stopping to hesitate, I sent the _Falcon_ into a dive just as a spurt of fire opened right where we would have been.

I started to turn to her with a _How did you know?_ when I remembered that Luke had done similar things, similar _spooky_ things after the old fossil had started training him.

"And left!" she snapped, and her tone was so full of command that I could almost believe she was a drill sergeant from Imperial Academy on Carida. _One more difference between her and the old fossil._ "Zigzag forward – aim for the bridge, it'll make them all duck because they won't expect it – open fire . . . _now_!"

I let the guns go blazing, not caring if they actually struck anything . . .

And with a solid _thump_, we hit the bridge.

"Cut the power, Chewie," I ordered, already flipping switches as fast as I could. "Cut everything you can; we have to seem dead because we got shot out of existence or gone because we jumped to hyperspace."

Chewie reached for his own set of switches – and suddenly they all flipped to the "off" position before he'd even gotten within ten inches of them.

"Chewie?" Leia asked curiously.

Chewie barked in confusion, even raising his hands to prove it.

We all turned around at the same time to see Jedi Ranor with her eyes glinting darkly and her hand outstretched. At once, switches and levers and throttles around the cockpit almost seemed to be alive as they flipped off or whirled down to reduced levels _without_ anyone touching them. Some didn't budge, of course, but they were the necessary ones – the air scrubbers, life support, and stuff. But it scared me, how she could manipulate the _Falcon_ so well . . . and so without my consent or aid.

Finally, she dropped her hand, and silence filled the cockpit as she leaned back with a weary sigh.

"Well done, Captain Solo, Chewbacca," she said quietly. "Lesser pilots would have questioned me, or perhaps even chosen the route you were thinking of."

I leaned against the back of my chair. "Do I want to know how you knew what I was thinking of?" I asked suspiciously.

A brief smile flickered across her face, but it was almost . . . pained. "You are predictable sometimes, at least. And Jedi are very good at picking up on little details and connecting the – "

Jedi Ranor broke off suddenly, and in that same second, she was on her feet, her sapphire eyes flashing and her entire body tense. I could almost _taste_ the power she was gathering to her, like storm clouds on a distant horizon that were creeping towards me at an entirely unnatural pace and with unnatural yet powerful fury.

I was really thankful, then, that that power was not directed at me.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
Cold crept into the cockpit.

I ignored it. Jedi were trained to ignore such temperamental factors by using the Force to suppress it or simply accepting it and moving on and not dwelling it. I just ignored it because I was already deep in the Force, listening, waiting, acting.

I had felt the dark probe instantly, and my reaction had been instantaneous as well.

I had leapt to my feet, gathered the Force to me, and hurled my power into a shield to conceal our presence from any seekers.

It was not easy.

I had to concentrate on three things at once: dampen our life-presences to such a degree that life sensors and Force probes would not pick up on; ensure that no one could pick up on my shield; and ensure that when I dampened the presences I didn't do any internal or external damage to Solo, Chewbacca, Leia, or myself.

As I had known, it wouldn't be easy.

For a few minutes, the probe nearly seemed to notice . . .

I held my breath.

The shield was ready and in force. Now, all I could was to hope it was not noticed, or everything would be in vain.

Then the probe skated past, and I breathed out a sigh of relief. Collapsing back into my chair, I paid little attention to the shield now; all it would need to do was deflect life sensors, and that, I had been able to do in my sleep with my hands tied behind my back and hanging upside down by my feet for ages. Every Jedi could. Machines were the easiest things to fool, especially sensors where only a slight tweak was enough to throw them off.

"Oh, Jedi Ranor, are you all right?" 3PO fretted.

I opened my eyes wearily. "Yes, 3PO," I replied, trying to not roll my eyes at the droid's incessant questions. _There's one thing I know I should have had Anakin program into that droid – a secret switch that shuts off his vocabulator. Or maybe just his voicebox in general._ I considered it, and then shrugged. _Either way works._

But anyways – 3PO was moving on already to Captain Solo. "Captain Solo, this time you have gone too far," he scolded.

Leia sighed quietly, Captain Solo rolled his eyes, and Chewbacca growled.

"No, I will not be quiet, Chewbacca," 3PO snapped – if a droid _could_ snap. "Why doesn't anyone listen to me?"

"I am sorry about that," I said finally, to everyone at large, sensing the curiosity they were all trying their best to restrain. "But Vader is here, and even though we might have fooled the Imperials into believing we jumped to hyperspace, he still made the Jedi fallback to ensure that – which is, of course, to send a probe through the Force, alongside life sensors, to ensure that the target is destroyed or gone. So I had to act quickly to protect us from that. It's why you all felt suddenly very cold, because I was forced to erect shields around your presences to prevent him from sensing you. . . I am sorry."

I didn't add that I myself was still feeling cold now, as the Force had just screamed about yet another death that Vader had inflicted as punishment – this time, for letting the _Falcon_ "get away".

Leia looked even more curious, while Solo looked wary and Chewbacca, I sensed, was bored.

But then again, the Wookie _had_ served with Master Yoda, who had probably done even stranger and bigger feats, so . . .

"How does it – " Leia began.

But just then, bursts of blue lit up the cockpit as Star Destroyers began warming up their engines.

Solo straightened, eyes alert. "The fleet is beginning to break up," he said. He turned to Chewbacca and ordered, "Go back and stand by the manual release for the landing claw."

Chewbacca barked in agreement, stood up, and bounded out of the cabin towards the back.

"I really don't see how that's going to help," 3PO muttered in a sulky and prissy tone. "Surrender is a perfectly acceptable alternative in extreme circumstances. The Empire may be gracious enough – "

Leia and I moved at the same time.

Leia snapped off his control switch while I reached through the Force to detach the wires between his power and his speaker – now, even if he _was_ turned back on, he wouldn't be able to speak until I reconnected the wires.

Solo breathed out a long sigh. "Thank you."

Leia slipped into the copilot's seat, without acknowledging his words. "What did you have in mind for your next move?" she asked instead.

He looked up through the viewport at the Star Destroyers. "Well," he said slowly with a smug smile on his face that I knew Leia had missed, "if they follow standard Imperial procedure, they'll dump their garbage before they go to light-speed, then we just float away. . ."

"With the rest of the garbage," Leia completed. "Then what?"

"Then we've got to find a safe port somewhere around here. Got any ideas?" he asked, glancing at first Leia and then at me.

"No. Where are we?"

Solo leaned forward and triggered the computer mapscreen on the control panel. Its soft blue light lit up the cockpit as planets and stars danced there, and I scanned each, forming a mental calculation of planets we could land in after Bespin.

We would have to go there; my Lady Mother had said see them _away_ from Bespin safely after they had met up, not prevent them from going.

So I would let Leia and Solo go there, and hope to prevent too much injury from Vader. . . In any case, Vader would be more interested in preserving Solo for Boba Fett and in torturing and killing me, another Jedi, than he would be in Leia, so hopefully, for the most part, everyone would get through long enough for Ben and Luke to arrive. . .

Hopefully.

"The Anoat system," Solo said, frowning.

"Anoat system." Leia looked back down, having gone through her mental database. "There's not much there," she told him.

"No," Solo agreed sadly. Then he went still as the mapscreen started flashing. "Well, wait. This is interesting. Lando."

"Lando system?" I repeated skeptically, straightening.

Leia suppressed a snicker.

Solo scowled at the both of us. "Lando's not a system; he's a man," he explained sourly. "Lando Calrissian. He's a card player, gambler, scoundrel. You'd like him," he added quietly to Leia with another smug smile.

"Thanks," Leia said sarcastically.

"Well, where is this Lando?" I asked resignedly.

"Bespin," he replied automatically, eyes distant; I could tell that he was already running calculations in his head.

"It's pretty far, but I think we can make it," he decided.

Leia opened up the Bespin file and scanned the information present about the system. "A mining colony?"

"Yeah, a Tibanna gas mine. Lando conned somebody out of it." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head like he was the emperor himself bragging about how he'd enriched the galaxy and had the riches of it at his fingertips. I could easily recognize it from Anakin, sadly enough, whenever he'd had a breakthrough that Ben or I had overlooked. "We go back a long way, Lando and me."

Leia's eyes narrowed. "Can you trust him?"

"No," Solo said flippantly. Then he caught sight of Leia's expression and added hastily, "But he has no love for the Empire, I can tell you that."

The intercom lit up, and a bark from Chewbacca rang across it. Solo flipped off the map screen and rotated his chair back to face the viewport, watching the Star Destroyers as they jumped to hyperspace – and as giants vents opened and they released all of their garbage to float aimlessly in space.

"Here we go, Chewie. Stand by." He waited a second for a few more chunks of garbage. "Detach!"

The landing claw retracted with a quiet wrench, and then the _Falcon_ was floating too, dipping in amongst the cloud of garbage with all the other chunks of stuff. I wrinkled my nose. _What a waste._ Then I sighed. _But at least all that "waste" will help us get away. . ._

_Be grateful for small miracles._

_Yes, Master._

Yes, my Master was long dead. . . But sometimes, I could still hear his advice in my head, and always did it make sense for the situation. Either that, or Lady Elizabeth had found a new way to talk to me.

Solo leaned back in his chair and offered us another smug smile.

Leia shook her head, but a grin crept across her face too. Then, in a move that surprised all of us, even her, she leaned forward and gave him a quick, brief kiss. "You do have your moments. Not many," she added wryly, "but you have them.


	25. Chapter 23

Day 5 and therefore the final day of my Midterm Marathon! Luke wanders into a very familiar cave. . . (Drumroll please!)

* * *

**_Chapter Twenty-Three_**

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
I seized the vine and began the slow climb, aware of every painful twinge of burning in my muscles and every shift of the small Jedi Master on back. However, I was doing better than I had fared last time; last time, at this part of the exercise, I had become so tired I had let go and nearly fallen if it hadn't been for Ben, who had sprang forward to slow my fall with the Force. It was an improvement at least, and a small one – but all the improvements I had been making here felt like small ones, so I took a moment to rejoice in it all the same.

It was only a few hours after dawn, but this had become a daily regime.

Wake up before the sun rose to meditate outside until breakfast. Ben usually joined me, although sometimes he stayed behind to confer with Master Yoda.

Then eat quickly, and try to avoid getting hit by Master Yoda. I learned the reason why the hard way.

Then run through warm-up exercises. Ben would usually practice the katas, as he called them, next to me, and his easy movements made me almost jealous; especially since Master Yoda always oversaw the exercises and was quick to correct a flaw with one solid _smack_.

Then go on a run through Dagobah, wherever Master Yoda wished me to run. Sometimes Ben came; sometimes he stayed behind to practice with his lightsaber in the katas; and sometimes Master Yoda had him ambush me at random times to teach me to be on my guard and so I'd learn more about dueling.

Today, no ambush yet, at least. I'd had three yesterday, and I'd lost all of them. I still had the bruises.

I reached the end of the vine and glanced around warily as I set off again to jump over some roots – here was a perfect ambush spot.

But nothing came.

As a matter of fact, I couldn't even _sense_ Ben. Master Yoda had taught me how to sense other life-presences in the Force on my second day, and since then, Ben and Master Yoda had been shining beacons whenever I reached out in practice. But now. . .

_He's shielding._ I withheld a groan. Whenever Ben shielded, he was either meditating, sleeping, or getting ready to ambush me.

I knew which was more likely.

"Run!" Master Yoda encouraged, drawing me out of my somber thoughts as he croaked in my ear words of wisdom. "Yes. A Jedi's strength flows from the Force." That was typical him; he'd done this ever since the start. Ben had said that it was because Jedi Masters prefered an empty and clean mind from exhaustion, as it was the best way to have a lesson sink in. I still didn't get why, or how.

I increased my speed, calling on the Force to fight back my fatigue. Whenever Master Yoda said something like that, it was because he noticed I was getting tired.

"But beware of the dark side. Anger . . . fear . . . aggression. The dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight."

I started to slow as my mind thought over the words. Anger, fear, aggression? _All_ part of the dark side? I mean, when I had fought at the Battle of Yavin, I had felt all of them – fear for myself and my friends; anger over those who died during the fights, especially those I had failed to get there in time to save; aggression towards those I did manage to catch shooting at my friends. Did that make me a follower of the dark side?

But Master Yoda wasn't finished.

"If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny," he warned. "Consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan's apprentice."

His words stopped me cold.

Without thinking, I knew exactly who he was talking about, even though no one had ever told me outright.

"Vader," I breathed.

Then I looked at Master Yoda and asked something I'd been wondering about since . . . well, since I'd realized that there was a dark side of the Force as well as a light side, and champions of both to fight for those sides.

"Is the dark side stronger?"

Master Yoda didn't even blink. "No," he said sharply, " . . . no . . . no. Quicker, easier, more seductive."

I frowned. _Quicker? Easier? More seductive?_ "But how am I to know the good side from the bad?" I asked. After all, on Tatooine, you learned quickly that if one way was quicker and easier than the other, you used that way and ditched the old way. It was sometimes the only to survive, and that way of thinking was ingrained in me.

"You will know," Master Yoda said calmly, "when you are calm, at peace. Passive. A Jedi uses the Force for knowledge and defense, never for attack."

I waved all that aside. I had heard the same exact stuff from Obi-Wan, and Ben, _and_ Kya.

"But tell me why I can't – "

"No, no, there is no why," Master Yoda interrupted, looking and sounding wearier than I felt, and he had been riding on my shoulders the entire time. "Nothing more will I teach you today. Clear your mind of questions."

With a sigh, I set Master Yoda on the ground and reached for my shirt.

And suddenly found myself rolling in the dirt.

When I stood back up, Ben was standing in my spot, lightsaber ignited and in hand, looking as calm as ever while I tried to stand without falling or groaning and spat dirt and mud out of my mouth.

I wanted to yell, _No fair!_

I wanted to say, _I'm not a landing cushion!_

And I definitely wanted to say, _You'll pay for that, Master Kenobi!_

And then proceed to kick his butt and actually live up to whichever threat I used.

What did I say?

"Oh, _not again_," I grumbled.

Ben grinned, flicking his lightsaber into the opening salute. "You need to pay more attention, Luke," he chided. "If you'd turned your head about . . . ten degrees up and to the right, you would have seen me coming. Once I jumped, I committed; you would have had ample time to turn and use the Force or a kick to send me off course."

"Well, now I know what to do to you later," I muttered, hauling myself out of the dirt. I raised a hand, and my lightsaber zipped into it. I flourished my own blade in the responding salute they had taught me, already gauging how best to keep up that promise.

"You can try," Ben replied.

"Yep. And win."

With that, I hurtled across the space between us, blade aimed straight for his face, a victory cry on my lips –

And suddenly he wasn't there anymore, and space was empty.

With a yelp, I frantically called on the Force to help me flip over and land on my feet instead of crashing into the tree face first, slicing myself open with my own lightsaber, and having a broken nose to top off my already severely bruised ego.

I heard Master Yoda sigh. "Focus, Luke," he called. "Let the Force flow, you must."

_Getting to it, getting to it. . ._

I charged again, but this time, I ran instead of jumping. And this time, Ben didn't vanish like before.

He met my charge, blade to blade, and the impact nearly sent the both of us off balance.

I recovered first, and immediately went on the offensive.

He countered easily, as if he was simply taking a stroll along the forest, as he always did. Even since the first duel, I had learned that I could never beat Ben in defense. He was a _master_ of defense. And I was less of a master at offense, so that didn't always go well for me whenever he ambushed me and we dueled.

But even though I wasn't a master, dueling still came well to me. The katas were getting more familiar to me, the movements coming faster and easier, and sometimes even my own instincts surprised me.

Like now.

Ben parried my downward thrust, twirled, and leapt over my head, turning over as he went and jabbing down at my own.

The Force whispered.

And I somehow managed to block his jab _and_ shove it back hard enough that Ben's jump was so disrupted that he had to roll out back to his feet instead of landing on his feet as he'd planned. A few more inches higher, and I would have sliced him open from kidneys to shoulder blades before finally spitting his head on my blade.

I stared.

And Ben stared back.

It was the first time I had disrupted any of his maneuvers, especially ones so flawlessly executed.

Then, quite suddenly, Ben grinned. "Excellent," he praised. "That's a weakness of Ataru as well as its strengths, Luke, all the acrobatics. Remember that."

I blinked. "What?"

"Ataru. Form IV. I learned it as a Padawan, and Darth Vader knows many of its moves. But always remember, Luke, that each form's greatest strength is also sometimes its weakness." He switched his lightsaber to his other hand, gesturing at me. "Like your own form, Djem So, Form V. Its strength is its power, in terms of how quickly and how strongly you wield the blade. But that means great commitment, and therefore, lesser mobility."

I understood the words. Perhaps a few days ago, I would not have, but now I did. I was sure he'd told me before, or old Obi-Wan had, but . . .

But this was one of those things where you needed to _do_ it to understand completely.

Ben turned slightly. "Master Yoda?"

Master Yoda grunted. "Down for today, you are. Fought well, you have, my Padawan," he added, his tone a little softer. "But more practice you need."

"Of course, Master Yoda."

Ben shut off his lightsaber and inclined his head; I copied his movement. It was part of the ritual end of the duel. And even though I knew I would not observe such formalities if – no, _when_ I fought Darth Vader, I knew it was important that I learn them for whenever he was gone and the Order was begun anew.

Ben leaned against a tree as I went to retrieve my shirt.

As I did, the dark side rippled.

I turned slowly, suddenly afraid without understanding why. After all, if there was danger, certainty Ben or Master Yoda would have noticed, would have spoken, would have done something. . .

It was a tree. A huge dead tree, blackened by age and . . . well, something that didn't smell natural. The water kept well away from it, with only a few inches of shallow water as a moat around its base. The roots were giant and twisted, telling me that it had been old, very old – perhaps because it had been old before it died or, even scarier, because of whatever had made it so . . . repulsive, creepy, and just plain _dark_. However, the roots did form a sort of . . . opening. And the Force was whispering again, only the voice was sweeter, much sweeter, like honey so charged with sugar that you cry more over its sweetness than over an acid's sourness, and it whispered of things high and grand and . . . well, _wizard_. Things greater than even Master Yoda and Ben and Obi-Wan and Kya could teach or help me do.

"There's something not right here."

The words left my mouth before I could stop them. I wasn't sure where they came from, or why they came, or even how they formed. . . But I knew they were right.

"I feel cold, death," I murmured, turning to Master Yoda and Ben.

For a long moment, neither met my eye.

Then, Master Yoda said quietly, "That place . . . is strong with the dark side of the Force. A domain of evil it is." He paused, and finally looked up to meet my gaze with sorrowful, weary green eyes. "In you must go."

"What's in there?" I asked warily.

"Only what you take with you," he replied cryptically.

I reached for my weapon belt and started to buckle it on. I wanted my lightsaber or at least my blaster if something went wrong in the "domain of evil".

But then Master Yoda sighed, and shook his head, and told me, "Your weapons . . . you will not need them."

I strapped the belt on anyways.

"Be careful, Luke," Ben said. "Things . . . are not always as they . . . appear."

I groaned inwardly. _More cryptic words. Just what I need, heading into the famed domain of evil with creepy roots and who-knows-what-else in there. Just great. Yep, definitely taking the weapons in here, because think I'll really need them._

_ And not for defending against ambushes._

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
"Worry, a Jedi lets go. Like fear. Like anger. Like hatred."

I sighed. "Yes, Master Yoda," I answered automatically. Then I sat down and forced myself to try to calm down. Luke would be fine. There was little in that cave that could harm Luke that I could prevent or should prevent; he needed this chance. All Jedi embarked on a quest like this, and now it was Luke's turn, and that was fair and proper.

And yet I was worried. Even more worried than when my daughter had faced herself in the mirror.

_Luke certainly has ways of attaching himself to us_, I thought wryly.

I would never have thought I'd be able to banish the images of three-year-old Luke and Leia, from my home universe, so sweet and naive and young. And yet, somehow, _this_ Luke had driven that image right out, and won affection and a position granted for being _him_ and not for being Anakin's son.  
I was sure that Kya felt similarly. Except perhaps she felt also sympathy and empathy for the pain and the hardships he would face that she knew about but could not change without making things worse.

For the first time, I thought I was having a true glimpse into her world. . .

And I wasn't sure I liked it.

"Obey you do, yet worry also you do," Master Yoda rebuked me. "Worry not just for young Skywalker, you do, but your wife."

I stiffened slightly at his words, knowing what was coming before he said it. Master Yoda and I had had been having plenty of debates about this topic – and for good reason.

I refused to give Kya up. I had lost her once, after all, and I had no qualms about holding on this time. I was her mate, a protector and a lover in one. I could not abandon her and leave her adrift without anyone else to turn to, to trust, to love. I loved her. And I was breaking the Code by loving her, not to mention by marrying her and having a child with her – although I didn't think Master Yoda knew about that last bit. Yet.

Master Yoda, unfortunately, still didn't believe it was possible to love and carry out my duty as I had before I had fallen in love. Oh, I could see his point of view. And on some things he was actually correct.

But I could not entirely, fully, and completely agree with him.

And therein lay our argument.

"I worry for Kya about as much as you worry about Luke," I replied, as impassively as I could. "I feel it, but I _can_ push it aside when duty calls. But I cannot, as you wish, destroy it entirely. I am her husband; it is my duty to protect her. And when I cannot, to worry about her."

Master Yoda blinked. "Husband, yes. Babysitter, no."

Now it was my turn to start in surprise. Then I recovered in time to counter, "I do not _babysit_ Kya, Master Yoda. She is my partner, in the field and in marriage terms. My _equal_ partner. Sometimes, she is wiser than even I am, and stronger, and better. I worry for her because I love her. That is all. There is no . . . "babysitting", no jealousy, no possession. She is not mine, and I am not hers. She is just as free as I am to walk away from this whenever she wishes."

His eyes narrowed, and I knew he could sense my lie as easily as I had said it.

But it wasn't like I could tell him the truth. As Kya's mate, I had to protect her, even from my own allies. He would learn of the truth only if she told him.

Because I couldn't walk away from Kya anymore than she could walk away from me. Our hearts, minds, and souls were bound together. We could not escape it, even if we wished to – which we did not. I loved her, and I would never stop loving her, and therefore, I would never stop worrying about her.

But before he could say anything else, Luke stumbled out of the cave, his blue eyes vacant and open, his body trembling, his mind raw.

"Luke!"

I sprang to his side. "Luke, are you all right?" I demanded.

It took him a moment to understand me, which deeply worried me. Then, very slowly, he looked at me, and in the depths of his eyes I read what had happened, and knew the truth.

"Luke – "

"I need some sleep," he interrupted, turning to leave.

I watched him trundle off into the distance and be swallowed up by the fog. Instinctively, I reached out to the Force, monitoring his progress and ensuring he reached the hut and had a long, if not fitful, sleep. He was obviously tired and troubled, but there was little I could do right now to help him. Like all Jedi before him, he would have to learn to deal with the visions on his own.

Master Yoda sighed and rose. "Where your worry shall lead you, _that_ is," he said simply.

There was no need for any other words.


	26. Chapter 24

**_Chapter Twenty-Four_**

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
I had never seen Bespin before. Now that I did, I could easily understand why Han had chosen it; it was enormous, with huge billowing grey-white clouds all around. Probably the biggest in the system, or at least the one with the most civilization. In other words, it was the system where we had the best chances of getting the hyperdrive fixed and getting on our way to the Alliance.

Just then, I saw Kya stiffen, her eyes snapping to the viewport.

That was when two bright orange twin-pod cloud cars zoomed into view and up alongside us.

And opened fire.

"No, I don't have a landing permit. I'm trying to reach Lando Calrissian."

Han's voice was exasperated; he had been talking to the controllers ever since we had entered the system. And gotten nowhere. He had been repeating the same words over and over again, and no result.

_Just like the hyperdrive_, I though wryly, settling back against my seat as more flak bursts shook the ship.

"Whoa! Wait a minute! Let me explain," Han pleaded.

Kya frowned. "This is strange. I don't remember Bespin being so against outsiders. . ." Her voice was quiet, and I knew she wasn't speaking to any of us, but herself.

But then again, Kya had been in hiding since the end of the Clone Wars.

Things _had_ changed.

All the same, though, I leant closer. "You've been here before?"

Kya looked at me, her sapphire eyes clear and unreadable. "Yes," she said finally, her tone almost wistful. "Once before. My Master and I were renegotiating a settlement between the Tibanna gas tappers and the administrators. They were much more welcoming then. It was a nice experience for my first diplomatic mission."

I frowned myself. "Your _first_ mission?"

As an Imperial Senator, I knew firsthand how difficult negotiations could be. And they had trusted a brand-new, inexperienced girl to do it on her very first mission? Granted, she was a Jedi, but . . .

Kya laughed, which surprised me. I had expected her to respond defensively, or even get angry that I was questioning the judgment or the ability of the Jedi Order.

Obviously I had missed something here.

"Leia, you must understand, I was there with my Master for a reason," she explained patiently. "My Master took the main role; I was merely there to learn, and be an extra set of ears and eyes in case something went wrong." She hesitated, and then added quietly, "This was before the Clone Wars, Leia; long before then, it was usual for apprentices to go to negotiations like that."

I nodded. It made sense. And it explained her wistfulness.

"Do you miss those days?" I asked curiously. I had noticed that neither she nor Ben had seemed to express regret over . . . well, anything. It made me wonder what the Jedi were really like in their heyday.

Kya blinked, as if she had never considered the idea. For a long moment, she was quiet, and her eyes took on that wistful, distant, reflective look.

"Jedi are not used to the idea of . . . of regret . . . of looking back on the past," she said slowly, as she wasn't sure how to put in words how she felt. "We are encouraged to leave behind all attachment, and regret and mourning are attachments, in a way. And if we look back, it is to remind ourselves of the lessons we learned and then applying those lessons. We do not go back simply for pleasure's sake."

"That's . . . a strange way of looking at it," I commented.

"Is it?" Kya gave me a keen look.

"Well, no," I admitted. "One of my close friends does a . . . similar thing, I think. She says that she tries not to linger on the past too much either; she says she looks back with happiness on the good and looks back with thinking on the past."

A gleam of interest shone. "Who is that?"

"Winter."

Something strange flickered in Kya's eyes. It was something I had never seen. Was it shock? Fear? Surprise?

I couldn't tell.

But before I could ask, the comm turned on with a sharp click and an abrupt voice announced, "You will not deviate from your present course."

"Rather touchy, aren't they?" 3PO muttered nervously.

I put Kya's expression in the back of my mind and turned to Han. "I thought you knew this person," I said slowly.

Chewie suddenly barked at Han.

"Well, that was a long time ago," Han replied. "I'm sure he's forgotten about that."

His tone said he wasn't so sure.

I fought the impulse to sigh, groan, or roll my eyes. _Here we are, in yet another mess where Han doesn't really know what he is doing. Just excellent. What was I thinking when I chose to come with him again?_

"Permission granted to land on Platform Three-two-seven," the voice said.

"Thank you." Han snapped off the intercom and turned to the rest of us. Perhaps he saw something in our faces, because he said reassuring, "There's nothing to worry about. We go way back, Lando and me."

"Who's worried?" I asked sarcastically.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
The platform was empty when we landed. It had a beautiful view of the city, the clouds, and everything else. . . But something felt wrong to me. Even Captain Solo sensed it, for he and Leia both armed themselves.

We opened the door . . . and no one was there.

I frowned and drew my cloak around me, all the while subtly resting my hand on my lightsaber hilt. I didn't know firsthand what had happened to Leia and Solo on Bespin, but I didn't intend anything to repeat itself if it meant they were hurt. My Lady Mother had been very clear about that part of my mandate, and I intended to follow it.

"Oh. No one to meet us," 3PO noted.

Leia took one look and frowned. "I don't like this," she murmured, eyes roving the platform as though looking for Imperial soldiers.

"Well, what would you like?" Solo shot back.

But his tone betrayed him, as did his wavering emotions. I saw him shift as I had, so that his weapon was in easier reach. He knew, as I did, that something smelled wrong. We just didn't know what, exactly. But we didn't intend to find out the hard way.

"Well, they did let us land," 3[PO pointed out.

"General Grievous let the Jedi land too, and then proceeded to try and kill us," I muttered darkly. "The Trade Federation pulled the same trick about twenty years before that, and they also tried to kill the Jedi ambassadors. With droidekas, droids, and dioxis. Both times, the Jedi got lucky. Landing doesn't mean anything."

Solo sighed in exasperation. "Look, Miss Jumpy Jedi," he said acidly, "don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. Trust me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Jedi do not blindly follow anyone, Solo."

"Would you just – "

"Who's that?" Leia interrupted, nodding across the platform.

A middle-aged man was heading across the platform with a group of aides and Cloud City guards. They were a motley collection or all races, and some of them were armed, but that was not what bothered me; I could have easily dealt with them, even without a lightsaber. The Force would guide me in attack if I needed to.

No, what bothered me was that the leader had a very grim expression on his face.

Especially since I sensed that the leader was the man Solo had said we should go to for help, Lando Calrissian.

"See? My friend," Solo said triumphantly.

But all the same, I caught his whispered, "Keep your eyes open, okay?"

Solo waltzed down the ramp, and Chewbacca growled in fear as I sighed, leaned against the wall, and started plotting attack designations.

Down at the ramp, Calrissian shook his head as he eyed Solo. "Why, you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler!" he accused, his entire expression one of anger. "You've got a lot of guts coming here, after what you pulled."

Solo blinked, and then recovered enough to look around and then point innocently at himself and mouth "Me?"

Calrissian moved threatening towards Solo, and Chewbacca growled –

I looked sharply at Leia and the Wookie; both seemed on the verge of firing. "Stop," I ordered crisply. "He's faking it." I could easily sense now that Calrissian's anger was fake; that, or was very good at shielding his mind, which was something I didn't think he was.

And then Calrissian threw his arms around Solo, hugged him tightly, and started laughing loudly.

"How you doing, you old pirate?" he asked eagerly. "So good to see you! I never thought I'd catch up with you again. Where you been?"

We watched silently as they embraced again, laughing and cracking jokes. It seemed . . . strange. I'd never thought Solo as one to do that sort of reunion thing. Perhaps that was the reason I was so uptight about this.

"Well, he seems very friendly," 3PO said.

"Yes," Leia said, her tone one of distinct wariness, "very friendly."

She and I shared a single glance, and we knew at once that we both were disagreeing with that statement from the start. I jerked my head towards the two men as I put my hand back on my lightsaber, telling her to play along for now. She sighed, but she nodded and tucked her own blaster out of sight as we descended down the ramp towards them.

For now, anyways.

"What are you doing here?" Calrissian asked.

"Ahh . . . repairs," Solo replied, gesturing towards the _Falcon_. "I thought you could help me out."

Calrissian eyed the ship with mock alarm. "What have you done to my ship?" he demanded.

"Your ship?" Solo repeated. "Hey, remember, you lost her to me fair and square."

Just then, Calrissian noticed Leia.

"Hello. What have we here?" he asked with a smug smile and tone I could distinctly label as being a cousin to Solo's own smug smiles and tones. Then he threw on the charm. "Welcome. I;m Lando Calrissian. I'm the administrator of this facility. And who might you be?"

Leia blinked at him. Then she said, "Leia."

Calrissian smiled at her in the most charming way before bowing and taking her hand. "Welcome, Leia," he said formally, with a voice I could almost describe as arrogant and suave to the greatest degree. Then he kissed her hand.

I could have rolled my eyes and sighed. And so could have Leia, I saw.

Only she also seemed ready to slap him.

_Not so fast, Leia._

"All right, all right, you old smoothie," Solo said abruptly, taking Leia by the hand and steering her towards the city – and away from Calrissian.

I sighed and closed my eyes briefly. _Of all the things that have happened, why _this_? I'd never thought I'd find someone _worse_ than Solo when it comes to pouring the butter tub over Leia, and yet here we are. Why, oh why, oh why?_ I could just imagine Ben's calming tone as he scolded me, and I thought, _Where are you when I need you?_

"And you are . . ." Calrissian said, glancing at me with another smile.

"Kya," I said simply.

"Welcome to Cloud City," he said formally.

I rolled my eyes as he moved on to C-3PO and hurried after Leia and Solo. This was certainly going to be interesting. But at least Solo would help keep Leia away from Calrissian, even if it was for selfish reasons. That was one concern down for now. Solo was a scoundrel and a smuggler, but I had seen that side of him and I knew that he wouldn't harm Leia, even if I didn't like him. I hadn't had the same experience with Calrissian yet.

Now I just needed to make sure that I kept my eyes open for Imperials.


	27. Chapter 25

**_Chapter Twenty-Five_**

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
"Be careful, Luke," Ben told me as he sank into a meditative pose with his legs crossed. He already had half the look of the peace and concentration needed for sinking into meditation – and the telekinesis that Master Yoda always demanded from me.

I scowled. _Yes, I made everyone fall last time, but I won't this time!_

Carefully, I moved myself to stand upside down, calling on the Force to steady myself. One minute passed. Then a second. And then another. And another. . .

My muscles began to burn.

The first time I had down this, I had collapsed when my muscles began to twitch like they were now. But slowly, through Ben's example and Master Yoda's teachings, I had learned to accept the pain and then to master it. I had learned to be able to ignore it and to call on the Force to strengthen myself and stand longer than would have ever been possible for me alone.

Then, of course, they had demanded that I also use the Force to lift things, as Master Yoda had lifted my X-wing.

It hadn't been easy – but at least I was getting better each time that I practiced the technique. Even Master Yoda, stubborn and cranky old taskmaster as he was, acknowledged that to me.

Or, he _had_, until the fiasco last time where I had fallen over.

Carefully, I reached out to the Force, seeing the world shot through with lines of glowing energy. It was almost too easy to reach out and twitch a few; and the world shifted in response, and I felt two battered rectangular cases start to levitate. Another swift touch, as fast as I could form the thought – and the world shifted again, and I felt a struggling astromech body rise, beeping the whole way.

It was times like this, I thought, when I was most peaceful.

Which was rather odd, now that I thought back on it, because here I was in a dark, dank, murky swamp, sweaty, exhausted, _upside down_ – and yet I felt more peaceful than I ever had in ages.

A voice floated towards me. I could feel it, the way it flowed through the lines of energy towards my body.

"Concentrate," Master Yoda intoned. "Feel the Force flow. Yes." A hint of approval crept into his raspy tone. "Good. Calm, yes." His tone shifted into teacher-mode, growing sadder as hints of information started appearing in his lecture, woven in as they always were. "Through the Force, things you will see.

"Other places. . ."

_Clouds, bright pink and yellow and orange, colored by the flaming setting sun, danced in front of my eyes. A settlement was there – literally, a city in the clouds, with high towers and landing pads and all the markers of intelligent, humanoid civilization. Wind gusts buffeted everything around me, but I remained untouched. Scents drifted across my nose – the harsh smell of fuel, the faint wisp of gas, the subtle shift of flavors in the wind. . ._

"The future . . .."

_White walls, curved and bright in the lights, flew past me. I had to go somewhere, be somewhere, meet someone – but who? Why? Where? When? How? Something was wrong, but I didn't know what. And then shots rang out. The walls halted, throwing me back, sending jolts of dizziness and nausea through me. . ._

"The past . . ."

_My aunt, slicing up roots and filtering water for dinner. . . My uncle, pointing out what work still needed to be done. . . An astromech droid, wobbling slowly away step by step in search of a dead man. . . Old Obi-Wan, lightsaber flashing, blue illuminating the strength and force in his eyes despite his aged, weakened body. . ._

"Old friends long gone. . ."

_Biggs, there and gone from Tatooine, and there and gone in the fight at Yavin, reduced to star dust and elemental particles in a fiery explosion. . . Old Obi-Wan, sliced down by a red blade that parted a sea of brown and tan with no more hesitation than with breathing. . . My uncle, my aunt, their bodies burned to a crisp. . ._

And then, abruptly, everything changed.

Pain flashed through my entire body; my eyes rolled back, my spine stiffened, and my muscles screamed in protest. And I knew that something was gravely wrong. The city in the clouds returned, accompanied by a vague sense of –

"Han! Leia!"

Their names burst out of me before I could think to stop myself.

My control snapped.

The boxes, R2, and I all fell to the ground rather ungracefully, with a metallic crash, electronic squeal, and sound thud.

I heard a soft sigh of reproach from Master Yoda as I lay on the ground, dazed and confused. "Control, control. You must learn control," he chided, stabbing at the ground with his gimer stick for emphasis.

I could care less about control.

I pushed myself up, ignoring the pain, and stuttered, "I saw . . . I saw a city in the clouds." _And it had been so vivid. Like a memory of a dream._

Master Yoda murmured. "Mmm. Friends you have there." It was a statement, not a question.

And I couldn't understand his calm.

"They were in pain," I told him firmly. He needed to understand.

Finally, Master Yoda looked at me, and in his green eyes, I understood that he already understood.

In fact, he already knew.

"It is the future you see," he pronounced sadly.

I stared, unable to accept his words. I knew of my own abiltiies, and I trusted in the Force, and I knew that Master Yoda was far wiser than I, but . . . _I saw the _future_? But – Han – Leia – they can't – the future – _

"Future?" I repeated anxiously. "Will they die?"

Master Yoda closed his eyes, lowering his head. For a moment, the Force gathered with clear and great power, as it always did when he called upon it to aid him. As I one day hoped it would do for me. But moments later, I heard another tell-tale sigh of sadness. "Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future," was all he could say.

I nodded. _Then there's only one thing I _can_ do._ "I've got to go to them," I declared, bolting to my feet.

"Decide you must how to serve them best," Master Yoda said. His voice was quiet, but it carried a sting I could not ignore. "If you leave now, help them you could. But you would destroy all for which they have fought and suffered."

I stopped. Just as completely as I had known that Han and Leia were in trouble, I knew that Master Yoda spoke the truth. But I could not – would not – abandon them. They were my friends, for stars' sake! Han had saved my life in the Battle of Yavin; I owed him at least this much, if I could prevent it from happening. . .

Then I noticed why Ben hadn't spoken.

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
"With all due respect, Master Yoda, I disagree," I said, striving to keep my voice as calm as I possibly could. "My affection for Kya does not blind me to my duty – if anything, it makes me all more aware of it."

Luke had barely sunken into his trance before Master Yoda had started on me. It was becoming almost a daily occurrence now. And quite annoying.

Master Yoda snorted. "Against the Jedi Code, love is," he reminded me severely.

But I remained unmoved. I had faced down the Jedi Council at 25 years of age to win the right to have attachment in the Jedi Order. And in the decades since, my life and my love had existed hand in hand. I was not about to give that up now just because an old, frail, embittered Jedi Master insisted it – especially as he had seen only the damage and devastation love brought.

He had not seen the joy, the happiness, the contentment.

In other words, he was judging that which he did not know, and I found fault with that.

"Only selfish, uncontrollable, obsessive love," I corrected gently. It was not said specifically so, but the guideline – in accordance with others – said basically that when all was said and done. "Not – "

Pain ripped through my body as though I had been dunked in a freezing cold vat of liquid.

I gasped, falling to my knees and gripping my head. The pain continued, raging through my body, and I was powerless to do anything about it. It burned me, as though my very veins were on fire. I could feel my body struggling to achieve unconsciousness, but for some reason, nothing was happening. I was being pushed to my limits, but I was not reaching them – why?

Then, when Luke shouted and the Force rippled, I understood.

I wasn't in pain myself.

It was Kya.

_Kya!_

I reached out to her, not caring that I'd probably get a second, stronger dose of the pain. She was my mate, and she was in pain, and I needed to get to her.

But I couldn't.

She was cut off from me. I could not each her no matter how much I struggled. The bond was not severed, thankfully; it simply lay dormant. But she was in too much pain to open it, for all that was left of it was the single pulsing strand of the life-bond that bound our hearts, minds, and souls together. And that meant trouble. A lot of trouble.

_Force suppressors._

My blood boiled as rage bloomed. Someone had _dared_ to cut off my Kya from the Force? The Force that was her parent, her companion, her _life line_? The Force that was the only reason for her very existence?

_They will suffer for that._

_No._

I took a deep, shaky breath. I reached out to the light, and gathered it to me, and felt my rage slowly drain away. I acknowledged my anger, but I did not act on it. To do so would be sink into the dark side of the Force – and to give validation to every warning Master Yoda and the Council had ever given me.

_Yes, I am Kya's mate. But I am also a Jedi._

In other words, right now, Kya did not need a mate. She needed a Jedi. And I had to act like a Jedi – to accept and acknowledge my feelings, put them aside, and use my brain to think of a way out. If I ran blindly in, most likely I'd be playing straight into her captor's hands.

With that sorted out, I opened my eyes and looked to Luke. He looked about as desperate as I felt. The only difference was that his eyes had in them a far stronger internal war than I did. I was a full Jedi Knight; I could leave. Luke was still in training, still a Padawan, still subject to the commands of his Master – a master who did not want him to leave.

"But . . . They need me, Master Yoda," Luke said.

"To train, _you_ need," Master Yoda replied unsympathetically. "Stop you, I will not. But to think on what is best for the _galaxy_ – your consideration, you should give. Renowned for skills of war _and_ skills of compromise, the Jedi."

Luke turned to me. "Ben?"

I stood, folding my hands into my sleeves. "It is your choice in the end, Luke," I reminded him. "I will go with you, if you so choose, for that is my duty; but if you stay, then what I will do will be my choice. But you . . . you must consider things carefully. If you go now, you are very likely to face Darth Vader – and you know as well as I that you are not ready for that."

"But you can help me."

I shook my head. "That is no guarantee, Luke. This is your destiny. Not mine. My interference could produce more ill than good."

"As could yours," Master Yoda added.

Luke turned away, his face distorted by anguish. Han and Leia were his friends. Han had saved his life. But he knew all too well the consequences of straying from the path Master Yoda had set; he was confident, but not arrogant. He knew his abilities. And he knew that a Sith Lord was far beyond them.

I waited quietly, as did Master Yoda.

I already knew my choice. Whether Luke chose to stay or go, I had to go. My duty was to protect Luke, but my duty to Kya's protection was far more important. Without her, Luke wouldn't stand a chance – and this galaxy would fall ever deeper into darkness, despair, and destruction.

Master Yoda would not be pleased. He would see it as my "obsession" with Kya, a downfall of attachment.

But I was done seeking approval.

_Let him think as he wishes. He can make his thoughts known _after_ Kya is safe and sound. And perhaps she can argue with him._

Luke straightened abruptly, and the Force calmed. He had made his decision.

He turned back to us. "Master Yoda, I know of the danger you speak. And I understand." He paused. "But I cannot follow it. Han and Leia are my friends, and they are instrumental to the Rebellion. And without the Rebel Alliance, I stand no chance at getting close to Vader and the Emperor as you wish me to."

Luke's voice was calm, steady, and confident – like a true Jedi.

"You say that Jedi are as good at fighting as they are at compromise. Here is mine: I will go the city I saw, and I will find my friends, and I will rescue them. But I promise you that I will return to finish my training once my friends are safe."

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Master Yoda sighed. "Your final decision, that is?"

Luke nodded firmly.

I smiled inwardly. I should have guessed that this would be Luke's choice. _Yet another way he is similar to his father – he places his friends above everything else, and will do almost anything for them._

_And, sometimes, manages to accomplish his duty as well along the way. If his luck holds._

"Then I shall go with you, Luke," I told him.

I saw the relief on his face, and I hoped I had made the right choice for Kya. And I hoped that Luke had inherited a very healthy dose of Anakin's impossibly good luck.


	28. Chapter 26

**_Chapter Twenty-Six_**

~ _Han Solo_ ~  
" – worrying too," Kya was saying as I walked in.

Her voice was strangely tense, and I saw that her hand was resting on her lightsaber hilt, just as I had seen old Kenobi do when we had entered the Death Star. It told me just how nervous she was, as before she had maintained that she could deal with anything, since she was a Jedi.

She wasn't the only nervous one, though.

Leia was pacing across the room, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes narrowed in concentration, her brow furrowed in thought. She was dressed casually, in a rather pretty dress with her hair tied back with ribbons, but her posture told me that she was feeling anything but casual because of . . . something.

"The ship is almost finished," I said, announcing my presence as I walked towards them. "Two or three more things and we're in great shape."

Kya crossed her arms, but she actually seemed pleased.

Leia turned towards me and said darkly, "The sooner the better." After a moment, she elaborated, "Something's wrong here. No one has seen or knows anything about 3PO. He's been gone too long to have gotten lost."

I touched her shoulders, reading the tension in her face, and realized that she was a lot more worried than she was letting on.

"Relax," I told her. "I'll talk to Lando and see what I can find out. "I don't trust Lando."

"Leia," Kya interjected gently.

Leia whirled to her. "You sense it too!"

Kya remained calm, folding her hands into her sleeves in the same steady way old Kenobi had whenever he had countered something I or Luke had said. "Yes," she agreed, "but we cannot assume it is merely Lando's fault. Besides . . . what I sense is darkness, yes; but Lando Calrissian is not its cause. Unless he suddenly has become Force-sensitive and learned how to be a void, which, I may remind you, takes many years of practice."

I looked between them. It was clear that they had had this argument already in my absence.

"Well, I don't trust him, either. But he is my friend," I added defensively. "Besides, we'll soon be gone."

Leia turned back to me with a raised eyebrow. "And then you're as good as gone, aren't you?"

Startled, I couldn't find the words to speak.

I _had_ been planning to leave the Alliance to pay off my debts to Jabba the Hutt. Had been planning since I had dragged Her Worshipfulness off to Yavin. But I had gotten sidetracked . . . well, a _lot_. First Luke had needed rescuing so he could blow up the Death Star. Then the Alliance had wanted to honor me in the ceremony. And then . . .

And then the years just kept coming, and my debt still wasn't paid – which basically meant that I had a death price on my head and would until I paid off the debt and got out of there with my head still on.

But I hadn't expected her to read _that_ much into it. Or perhaps I had. Either way, it surprised me all the same.

The door suddenly swooshed open. I turned just in time to see Chewie walk in with a packing case full of metallic-looking arms and legs haphazardly piled inside and with odds and ends and wires poking out in all directions. Even more alarming, it was smoking, and, heck, it even _smelled_ completely out.

"What happened?" Leia asked curiously, edging closer.

Chewie plunked the case down and set about explaining.

"Where? Found him in a junk pile?" I repeated, able to comprehend but unable to fully accept what I had been told.

Kya wrinkled her nose as she glanced it over. "He's going to need some extensive repairs," she observed with a sigh. "At this rate we might as well not bother doing anything until we get back on the _Falcon_. . . He's going to take a few hours at the least. Stars above. . . He's never looked this bad, not even on Tatooine."

I shot her a curious look. "Why're so eager to leave?"

She returned the look calmly. "You really think the Empire won't search out likely systems? Bespin is one of the closest, even if our hyperdrive _had_ been working," she reminded me. "It's not impossible that they could come to sniff things out."

_She's got a point_, I conceded.

But pride kept me from agreeing with her. Lando was my _friend_. Not my most reliable friend, of course, but he'd at least warn me before the Empire descended. He hated it as much as I did.

Leia completely ignored us. "Oh, what a mess," she groaned. "Chewie, do you think you can repair him?"

Chewie studied 3PO for a few seconds before shrugging.

I couldn't tell if it was because he wanted to prolong 3PO's silent state or if he really wasn't certain if he could repair the droid. But I kept quite about my suspicions. Leia was tense enough; there was no need to add to it. I had seen what happened when her Worshipfulness got pissed off, and while I could kinda trust Jedi Impassiveness not to explode, I couldn't say the same for Leia.

So I said instead, "Lando's got people who can fix him."

"No, thanks," Leia said curtly.

"Leia," Kya said gently. "What was the first rule of diplomacy that you learned?"

"Silence is not agreement," Leia recited, but I could see from her face that she was teasing Kya – which was a relief, because if she was teasing the Jedi, then she was certainly at least somewhat relaxed.

"Leia."

Kya sighed – but before she could say anything else, there was a buzz at the door and Lando walked in.

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
Lando took one step, noted the defensive positions we all had, and stopped, flashing a charming yet inquisitive smile around the room. "I'm sorry. Am I interrupting anything?" he asked politely as he made his way down the steps.

"Not really," I replied.

Lando took the reply as an invitation and stepped closer, taking my hand and giving it a little kiss. I let him, because I figured flipping him to the ground probably wasn't the best idea. True, Han dumped the butter tub over me as well, but he wasn't this bad. Or perhaps I was just getting too used to Han. But at least I knew I could trust Han – I still wasn't sure about this guy yet. And Kya wasn't either, which didn't help my mood.

"You look absolutely beautiful. You truly belong here with us among the clouds," Lando praised, glancing up and down as though I was a treasure.

A standard line, meant to sway one's opinions.

I was dusty, tired, and had worn the same clothes for a few days now. I wasn't in the most pleasant state. And I had heard those lines before from people in the Senate, as I _was_ a Princess of Alderaan.

"Thank you," I said as coolly as possible.

Unfortunately, it didn't deter him.

"Will you join me for a little refreshment?" he asked, extending a hand.

Han shot him a suspicious look – perhaps my arguments were finally getting into his stubborn head. Even Kya frowned slightly. It was barely noticeable, but it was there. But Chewbacca barked in what was definitely an eager tone as he licked his lips.

_I guess we're going._

"Everyone's invited, of course," Lando said reassuringly, glancing around the room.

I wanted to dodge, but after an open invitation like that . . . I knew there was no way I could get out of it. Or, for that matter, any of us, save we dropped sick right this instant and began vomiting, which, tempting as it was, wasn't _that_ tempting.

Then Lando frowned. "Having trouble with your droid?" he inquired, gesturing at the box of burned and dismantled 3PO parts on the table.

I exchanged a quick, pleading glance with Han. He _had_ said he would go to Lando for help, possibly, but . . . _Please don't tell him, please don't tell him, please don't tell him_, I changed silently.

And then Han said, "No. No problem. Why?" as he took my arm and gently escorted me out the door.

_Oh, thank the stars._

Han trusted Lando. Well, as much as he _could_ trust a former friend he had conned.

I did not.

The short walk we took through the city didn't help. Yes, it was beautiful, with tall, elegant white columns and high windows to let in long shafts of glowing light. But I got the feeling that Lando was more showing off than simply getting us to a refreshment room. And if this was _subtle_ and a _little_ showing off in just getting there, I knew I was going to need all of my diplomacy training when we actually sat down.

Then Lando started talking, and I _knew_ he was showing off.

"So you see, since we're a small operation, we don't fall into the . . . uh . . . jurisdiction of the Empire," he was saying.

Despite myself, I was slightly interested. Small his operation may be, but Bespin was big, and the Empire poked its nose everywhere it possibly could for profits. Even in small operations. For Lando to have avoided that was . . . a tad . . . interesting.

Okay, it was more than that.

But I wasn't going to be the one to give Mr. Big-Ego another shot of adrenaline.

"So you're part of the mining guild then?" I asked.

"No, not actually. Our operation is small enough not to be noticed," he repeated before lowering his voice and adding, "which is advantageous for everybody since our customers are anxious to avoid attracting attention to themselves."

I fought back a sigh. _Han was right. He _is_ another scoundrel. And also on the run from various organizations._

"Aren't you afraid the Empire's going to find out about this little operation and shut you down?" Han chimed in, his voice so believingly concerned that I could almost believe it. Almost.

"That's always been a danger looming like a shadow over everything we've built here," Lando replied, surprising me with his honest admission. Most scoundrels – like Han – would have avoided the subject entirely as charmingly as possible or wooed his way out of it by changing the subject to something else. "But things have developed that will insure security. I've just made a deal that will keep the Empire out of here forever."

We stopped in front of large white doors that stretched from the ceiling to the floor – tall, impressive, and elegant, like everything else.

Then they opened, and the scene was anything _but_ elegant.

Darth Vader was there.

_Lando turned us all in!_ I realized with a jolt of unpleasant shock. _I was right all along; we shouldn't have come here._

I had barely realized that, though, before Han had dropped my arm, drawn his blaster, and emptied a few rounds straight at the Sith Lord. Chewie growled and reached for his own; I glanced around futilely, cursing myself for having changed out of my Alliance gear, which had my utility belt – and all my weapons.

But the Sith Lord didn't activate his lightsaber, to my surprise.

He simply raised a hand.

And as each bolt of energy splashed across his palm, it either vanished completely or bounced back into the side walls as if he had turned into a laser field.

Han paused, shocked – and Vader raised his other hand, and Han's blaster went flying across the room.

He set the weapon down on the table calmly. "We would be honored if you would join us," the Sith Lord intoned darkly as a bounty hunter – Boba Fett – stepped up behind him, blaster drawn, as stormtroopers flooded the hallway behind us with their weapons trained on us.

Han shot Lando an accusing stare.

Lando raised his hand helplessly. "I had no choice," he protested. "They arrived right before you did. I'm sorry."

I heard a snort.

"You always have a choice," Kya said, and her voice filled the entire room at the same time that I heard a telltale _snap-hiss_ that I knew was her lightsaber activating. "You just made the wrong one."

Darth Vader started visibly. "Who are you?" he snarled.

"Nice to see you too . . . _Anakin_," Kya spat, and her voice was so full of poison that I could hardly believe that she was the same woman who had sweet-talked her way into the Alliance.

Darth Vader leaned forward menacingly and put his hand on his own lightsaber hilt. "Anakin is dead."

"Oh, I know. As is – what was her name again? You know, the woman you swore to protect . . . and then _murdered_ in cold blood?"

And just like that, Darth Vader snapped. "Don't you _dare_ speak her name!" he roared, as full of rage now as Kya had been full of taunting, wounding poison. "Kill her! Kill her _now_!"

Kya shrugged.

Then the doors squealed shut, and everything spiraled into downright chaos.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
I knew my words would cause Vader to lose focus. And it hurt me to speak so ill of him, even though he had done so much damage, because it was completely against every facet of training that my Master had ever instilled in me.

But my duty was to Leia's safety first, not my only petty concerns.

So I spoke.

And I shut the doors in his face.

I jumped straight to the control panel, thrusting my lightsaber through it to turn the controls into a sparking soup so that Vader couldn't open the doors immediately. My jump also made me collide with Calrissian, knocking him straight to the wall so hard that he slumped dazedly to the floor afterwards.

_Target One: down._

Aware of the stormtroopers behind me, I whirled to leap into their midst to draw their fire even as I counted how many there were. To my relief, there wasn't that many – Vader had contained the majority in the room, not wanting us to get any hint that the Empire was nearby.

_One, two, three, four, five, six,_ I counted swiftly. _That should be no problem._

I darted into the fray.

One trooper fell to my blade, and then another, and then another. Then I dodged between two more, causing them both to die by friendly fire. A few more kicks, wheels, and deadly slashes, and the rest were history. After all, I had trained besides the people who had trained these men, and they hadn't evolved that much. Master Kenobi and Skywalker had trained me well. Perhaps too well. But I couldn't dwell over that.

I reached into my utility belt and tossed two blasters at Han and Leia.

"You get out. Get to the _Falcon_; it should be prepped by now," I ordered. "Don't talk to anyone, don't trust anyone, and don't hesitate to shoot anyone who tries to stop you with force. The Empire's taken over here, and there's no way to know who's on Vader's payroll. I'll meet you there."

I knew I was being brusque and rude, especially since I was acting as if they were rookies and new to this game.

But I had no choice.

We needed to get out before Vader caught on. And if it meant a few stubbed toes and hurt pride, well, I'd deal with that problem later, because then it'd mean we were away and safe.

Leia seemed to understand. She grabbed Han's hand, nodded at me, and said, "We'll meet you there." Then she took off.

I took a deep breath and darted off in the other direction. I had to be the distraction now. I might not get out, but it would be worth it if Leia and Han did on the _Falcon_.

Internally, I cursed myself for not having seen it coming.

True, in my home universe, Leia and Han had been skimpy on the details, but the clues were quite clear. I just hadn't realized how quickly Vader had come to take control of Bespin personally; I had assumed he had strolled along _after_ Lando had taken them into custody courtesy of the Empire's soldiers. Clearly, I had failed to put together the key puzzle pieces.

The Force whispered, and I whirled just in time to see a bolt whiz by centimeters from my face.

"That's her!"

I sighed. _Scratch that. They _are_ getting faster._ I took off again. _Before it would have taken them hours to track a Jedi's trail._

_Then again, I didn't exactly not want to found, did I?_

I leaped over a railing to thud to a landing on the floor below, wielding my lightsaber to defend myself from the shots as I landed – and rose and turned to find a rather nasty surprise awaiting me.

"It is rather rude to refuse an invitation of honor," Darth Vader rumbled, his own lightsaber activated. "And Jedi are supposed to be the pictures of serenity, honor, and politeness, are they not? Will you not _now_ accept my invitation?"

I clenched my hands into fists, furious.

Han, Leia, and Chewbacca were in the middle of a circle, blasters taken away, cuffed and helpless, clearly having been caught by Vader himself.

_Fooled again!_ I thought furiously.

I had thought he would come after me; I had known of his excitement in chasing down Jedi. But clearly he had known my weak spot, and my strategy. And it was too late to change things now.

I threw my lightsaber at Vader. "May the Force curse you for this," I spat.

He caught my blade and examined it. "Take them away," he ordered absently, as if I was no interest. "And make sure the Jedi is put under full neural restraint. If she resists, shoot the others." He turned his mask to me. "So don't try to escape, Jedi."

I stiffened, as the option to fight my way out alone and come back for the others became suddenly much more tempting. That kind of restraint was even worse than taking away the Force. Under neural restraint, I would barely be able to think to breathe and speak, much less see, hear, or take any kind of action in defense or offense. I would be completely helpless, even if I had the Force, because I wouldn't be able to even remember how to use it. And if they tortured me, there was no limit to the things I could reveal – amidst the babbling they would get alongside it, of course.

_Things have _definitely_ taken a turn for the worse._

Now all I could hope for was a rescue.


	29. Chapter 27

**_Chapter Twenty-Seven_**

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
I heaved the case into the X-wing, partially glad to get it finally in and partially unhappy that it had taken me so long. R2 twittered at me from his perch, clearly eager to get moving. I completely agreed. But it wasn't that easy.

And having Master Yoda talk the entire time didn't help either.

Even now, from the log where he was perched, he pleaded, "Luke! You must complete the training."

"I can't keep the vision out of my head. They're my friends. I've got to help them," I reminded him. I didn't add the obvious: They had helped me out of more dangerous situations more times than I could count, and I was going to turn down the one time I could be the only one who could help them get out of whatever mess they were in?

No way. In any galaxy.

"You must not go!" Master Yoda ordered.

I whirled around, suddenly furious. We had been talking and talking and talking. But talk wouldn't do anything for my friends.

"But Han and Leia will die if I don't!" I shouted, unable to control myself any longer.

There was a beat of silence.

Then the Force swelled, and a new voice joined the conversation – a voice so familiar that for a wild second I thought I was dreaming or hallucinating again, because I had dreamed of hearing his voice again so many times. . .

"You don't know that."

The voice was cool, and confident, and sad, just as it had always sounded.

Obi-Wan.

A blue glow lit the clearing, and from its center a form materialized. The image shimmered as if it was a reflection, which made sense, as this image was only a pale representation of who he had been in life. A silver-blue lining made it hard to look at him directly; I found it easier to see him out of the corner or my eye, or through half-closed eyes, or when the twilight fell.

Obi-Wan had no such restrictions, and he looked straight as me as he continued, "Even Yoda cannot see their fate."

_Oh great. Now I have yet _another_ person who is against this._

But then I looked over to the next X-wing, where Ben was already in the cockpit seat. His eyes were fixed on Obi-Wan as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. And I remembered that he had said that he was going too.

That bolstered me enough to retort, "But I can help them! I feel the Force!"

"But you cannot control it," Obi-Wan countered.

I bit my lip. Despite all my claims, he was right. Even now, I could feel the Force swirling in the swamp – bright eddies of clear, focused, powerful light from Ben and Master Yoda and Obi-Wan; whispering tendrils that conveyed energy from object to object; a massive black hole of darkness from the ancient, dead tree; waves of energy that rose and fell as though the Force breathed with each breath of every person in every galaxy; and more.

I could feel it.

But I could not control it. In fact, I could barely interpret it.

Master Yoda had begun my education. It was not finished. I was still an apprentice – a Padawan Learner, Ben had called me. A Jedi still in training, still learning, still new to the ways of the Force.

I wasn't ready yet. I wasn't even half as good as Ben, for he was a full Jedi Knight and had been for quite a few years.

As if picking up on my self-examination, Obi-Wan continued solemnly, "This is a dangerous time for you, when you will be tempted by the dark side of the Force."

The dark side.

I was still learning, but already I knew of the danger of the dark side. I had seen it in Darth Vader when he had cut Obi-Wan done at the Death Star. And I had seen it in the cave, when I had cut down . . . myself.

"Yes, yes. To Obi-Wan you listen," Master Yoda said sharply, as if reprimanding me for not listening to him either. "The cave. Remember your failure at the cave!"

The flash of my vision there made me hesitate.

But then the flash of agony from my friends shocked me back to reality. I had other priorities besides training to be a Jedi. And what was the point of training if I couldn't even use it, after all? Jedi were keepers of peace and justice and protectors of the galaxy – if Leia and Han were in danger, and I couldn't even protect my friends, how could I protect the galaxy?

"But I've learned so much since then," I protested. One failure didn't mean I would always fail.

They still weren't satisfied, I saw.

I sighed. What more did they want? Leia and Han were in danger, and I had to rescue them. What was the giant problem with that? Didn't they _encourage_ helping people in danger?

"Master Yoda, I promise to return and finish what I've begun," I reminded him. "You have my word."

Still not enough.

"It is you and your abilities the Emperor wants. That is why your friends are made to suffer," Obi-Wan explained, his expression twisted with distaste and sorrow.

_If he feels the same, then why doesn't he let me go? _He's_ not going to do anything about it!_

"And that is why I have to go," I told him.

Obi-Wan sighed wearily. "Luke," he said very softly, "I don't want to lose you to the Emperor the way I lost Vader."

For a second, I was thrown off guard.

True, Obi-Wan had always carried a strange aura of sadness whenever he had spoken of Vader. And yes, he had shown pride and affection for me and my abilities. But I still hadn't expected him to consider me in the same position he had once considered Vader.

In a way, I also didn't want him to.

True, it was a nice sentiment. But being compared to a Sith Lord didn't really boost my ego.

"You won't," I told him.

Master Yoda shifted, and I thought I heard a tiny sigh. Or maybe it was a snort. Either way, he said slowly, "Stopped they must be. On this depends. Only a fully trained Jedi Knight with the Force as his ally will conquer Vader and his Emperor."

He lifted his green eyes to look straight into mine – quite a powerful move indeed, considering that I could feel the concentration of the Force around him.

"If you end your training now," he warned seriously, his raspy voice somehow darker than it had ever been this entire time, "if you choose the quick and easy path, as Vader did, you will become an agent of evil."

"Patience," Obi-Wan pleaded.

I whirled on them both. They had both neatly avoided the heart of the issue for a little too long.

"And sacrifice Han and Leia?" I shouted.

Master Yoda closed his eyes briefly, as if my shout hurt him. "If you honor what they fight for . . . yes," he said gravely.

To say I hadn't expected that answer was an understatement. It had been the last answer. That thought had been the one that had needled me the most, the most potent driving force for leaving, the strongest reason to go and rescue them. And yet Master Yoda had turned it right back on with hardly any effort.

"Luke."

I looked up.

Ben had stood in his cockpit. His eyes were full of sympathy and understanding, but I could see the unyielding nature that was his. It was the first time he had spoken.

"It is your choice," he said, his voice softer than Obi-Wan and Master Yoda but somehow much, much stronger.

Because with those five words, I remembered my purpose.

I turned, and faced the two Masters, and I told them, "I am going to save my friends. I will not change my mind."

Obi-Wan sighed. His face took on a distant, sad look, and he folded his hands in his robes as though washing his hands of me entirely. "If you choose to face Vader," he informed me, "you will do it alone. I cannot interfere."

I winced inwardly. Obi-Wan's advice had saved my butt more times than I could count; his advice had saved my life, saved the Alliance, and gained me a spot in their ranks that had protected me this entire time. Now I would face Vader alone, without his advice – and he knew Vader knew better than anyone, and I valued his advice above anyone. Going without that advice was . . . problematic, at least.

_No. Not alone._

I had Ben. And I would save my friends.

"I understand." Then I turned my head towards R2 and started to climb up to the cockpit. "R2, fire up the converters."

I was done talking. Now was the time for action. My friends were in trouble. I had the means the help. And so I would help them.

Just as I jumped in the cockpit, the Force crested in a wave, and I felt more than heard Obi-Wan call out, "Luke, don't give in to hate – that leads to the dark side."

I nodded shortly, triggering the cockpit cover.

"Strong is Vader. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can," Master Yoda chimed in. Somehow, he sounded at once more and less worried that Obi-Wan – if he was even worried at all. I could almost hear the exasperation in his voice.

"I will. And I'll return," I repeated. "I promise."  
Then I closed the cockpit cover, started the engines, and took off.

_Time to go._

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
As I moved my starfighter to catch up to Luke, I struggled with my surprise. Seeing this universe's version of me was unsettling. Very unsettling. He was so . . . _different_. In every possible way. He was older. Sadder. Wiser. The years marked him in so many ways that I had not been yet – his eyes were dark and deep with incomprehensible sadness, grief, and acceptance; his body and face was aged much more than mine; his presence was strong, and clear, and deep, like a true Jedi Master.

Everything different from me.

And yet, everything I might have become.

_Save for Kya._

I felt a surge of affection for my mate. Had it not been for her, I _would_ be like this universe's version – or close to it. She had saved me. She had saved all of us.

"Ben?"

With a jolt, I turned my attention to the task at hand. Enough reminiscing.

"Yes?"

"Are you ready?"

"One moment, Luke. Do you have any idea where your friends might be?" I asked.

For a few seconds, there was only silence from my fellow flier. I had obviously caught him off guard. Then, he answered slowly, "I'm not sure. I just remember a . . . sensation, I guess."

"Of what?"

"Clouds. Gas. High towers of a city."

_Impressive_, I thought. I had sensed as much – in fact I had sensed more – but I had thought that since Luke's formal training was going to be interrupted, I might as well carry on and train as we went, which was usually done for Jedi Padawans. Training in calm situations was all well and good, but the truth of the mater was that missions weren't usually like that. Luke needed to know how to operate under stressful conditions.

And if anything, this was a stressful condition.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm." I paused and reached for the Force, letting it fill up within me, letting it sharpen my perceptions, letting it bring back my vision in all its clarity. "Use the Force, Luke. Let it help."

"But they're in trouble, Ben! And I know you know more than you're saying."

"True, I do, but first you need to figure this out, Luke. What if I'm not here one day? You need to be able to do this on your own."

I caught a small groan of exasperation from Luke – but at least he was able to take in my logic and accept it. The Force swelled again, and I smiled, leaned back, and closed my eyes to gather the Force to myself as well. Together, the Force blossomed in us, rising to a tremendous wave that washed away my fatigue and gave me new energy.

_This_ was what I wanted Luke to experience – this amazing sense of power and connectivity and rejuvenation.

The comm snapped on. "Bespin," Luke said. There was no sense of hesitation or uncertainty or haste in his tone; the Force had shown him the answer and he knew it and we were going there.

I opened my eyes and entered the coordinates. "Well done," I congratulated him.

"Thanks."

"I'll see you at Bespin. Or – no, wait, Luke."

He groaned openly this time, sensing my intent easily, since he had not let the Force drain away yet. "_Another_ lesson?"

"Luke," I said sternly, although a hint of smile tugged at my lips at his very boy-like protest, "sometimes the best lesson times are in the middle of a crisis. If you can learn it now, and apply it now, and apply it _successfully_, then you'll never forget it."

He sighed. "I suppose. What now?"

"It's two things, actually," I clarified as a new possibility hit my mind. _Why not? Might as well sneak it in and get it over with_, I thought. "I'm going to teach you how to go into a Jedi trance – hibernation to start with. We'll move up to healing later. And I'm going to teach you how to use the Force to find much faster and safer routes through hyperspace, although you can also use it for normal routes too. Start by . . ."


	30. Chapter 28

**_Chapter Twenty-Eight_**

~ _Han Solo_ ~  
As the two stormtroopers dragged me down the hall, I could barely muster the strength to blink and breathe, much less lift my head and look around to see where I was going. That torture had taken a lot of out me. I had never felt such burning, overwhelming, never-ending pain. It had coursed through my body with such intensity that I had forgotten my vow not to scream within the first three minutes of the "interrogation".

It wasn't really an interrogation, though. They hadn't asked me any questions.

That scared me more.

Perhaps they hadn't asked any questions because they had been aware of the answers already. And perhaps they knew the answers already because they had gotten it from somewhere else.

Or someone.

I was still aching from my torture. But I would go through it all again if it would save Leia from torture.

I felt a brush of cold air, and then suddenly the supporting hands were gone and I was falling through the air. A roar sounded, and then furry hands were guiding me up to a platform as words of comfort, question, and worry were growled.

I groaned, "I feel terrible." There was no point in hiding it, after all.

And then, suddenly, Chewie wasn't the only one there. There was a squeal from grating slides, and then Leia was kneeling at my side, her expression horrified and concerned. She seemed fine.

But she could just be hiding it. She had suffered through a Imperial interrogation before on the Death Star and _still_ been able to go with us, participate in the shoot-out, make her way through the garbage shoot, and get out on the _Falcon_. Her Worshipfulness was excellent at hiding things from other people.

"Why are they doing this?" she asked.

I shrugged in confusion, wincing at the pain. "They never even asked me any questions," I told her. "Nothing."

"I don't understand," she whispered.

That didn't help things. Leia had the best grip on political motives I had ever seen. If she didn't know. . . I mean, I had only encountered the bad side of the Empire, but I had always gotten away; I was a low-case smuggler. I didn't butt heads with Darth Vader. That was Her Worshipfulness's job. And if _she_ didn't know . . . well, we were done.

There was another whoosh – someone else was coming in.

_Oh, great. _

"Lando," Leia said, her tone one of surprise and barely-suppressed anger.

_Oh, even _better_. Just perfect._

I pushed myself up on to my elbows. I didn't need Lando here to witness my weakness. Especially not since _he_ was the reason I had undergone the torture, because _he_ had turned us over to the Empire.

"Get out of here, Lando!" I snapped angrily.

I didn't expect him to snap back.

"Shut up and listen!" Lando shouted. For the first time, I glimpsed raw emotion on his face – fear, anger, desperation. Something was wrong. Well, something _else_ was wrong. And something much worse.

"Vader has agreed to turn Leia and Chewie over to me."

_That's supposed to be _good_ news?_ I glimpsed at Leia. _To leave _her_ here, in _your_ hands? Yeah, that's just excellent news._

"Over to you?" I repeated scathingly.

"They'll have to stay here, but at least they'll be safe," Lando said pleadingly.  
_Safe? Here? No way._

Leia interrupted, "What about Han?" Her tone was strained; she had accepted her fate already. But now she was worried about me. It was touching. A little. Enough to take some of the bite out of Lando's betrayal and the fate she and Chewie would face. As to whatever Vader was doing with me . . . well . . .

Lando swallowed. "Vader's giving him to the bounty hunter," he admitted in a defeated tone.  
Leia scoffed. "Vader wants us all dead."

But her tone was all bravado. She didn't want the fate being dumped on her shoulders. She didn't want to stay here, under the control of the Empire and in the hands of Lando. And she was worried about me.

"He doesn't want you at all," Lando countered to my great surprise. "He's after somebody called . . . uh . . . Skywalker."  
_Skywalker?_

"Luke?"

Lando shrugged; the name meant nothing to him. "Whoever he is," Lando explained, "Lord Vader has set a trap for him."

Leia and I shared a single glance, understanding the situation in an instant, our minds in perfect accord for the first time in this entire trip. Vader _did_ want Luke. Especially after Luke had fired the shot that destroyed the Death Star. And the kid was a Jedi – or at least, was on the way to becoming a Jedi – and no doubt the Emperor wanted him taken care of.

And one way to do it was to lure him into a trap with –

"And we're the bait," Leia finished, horror dawning across her features

Lando gave another helpless shrug. "Well, he's on his way," he said, confirming out worst fears.  
Rage roared within me. So not only had in had he betrayed us to the Empire – he had also sanctioned torturing all of us, was going to let me be given over to the Hutt while he imprisoned Leia here, and using us _bait_ to snare yet another person into this "deal" with the Empire.

I swung my legs over the platform.

"Perfect. You fixed us all pretty good, didn't you? My _friend_!" I spat sarcastically.  
When he spread his hands helplessly in response, I snapped.

I lunged at Lando, swinging a punch every time I had a clear shot at him. He deserved it. He wasn't any friend to me. He deserved me.

Something smacked into me, and my breath and vision left in one moment.

And then I found myself across the room, on the floor, a throbbing bruise on my back, a growling roar echoing across the room.

"Stop!" Lando ordered.

The guards paused, their weapons still aimed at a very angry Chewie.

Lando turned to me. "I've done all I can do," he said. "I'm sorry I couldn't do better, but I have my own problems."  
_Of all the arrogant, self-serving, victim-playing . . ._"Yeah, you're a real hero," I sneered, wiping blood from my chin as Leia and Chewie took my arms and started to get me up and back to resting at the platform.

"You certainly have a way with people," Leia commented with a sigh.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
The Force whispered, curling one faint, spider-silk-thin tendril around me, trying in vain to comfort the pure numbness that was effectively trapping me in a world where I could not see, hear, touch, taste, smell, move, sense, breathe, blink, _act_. . . I was rendered completely useless by the neural restraints, and there was no way I could escape them.

And then suddenly, the world burst in flares of color, bursts of sound, and sparks of pain.

I came back to myself with a gasp.

Suddenly, I was aware of the harsh white color of the walls, the brilliant lights shining straight in my eyes, and the cool confines of the cuffs that bound my wrists to the ceiling and my ankles to the floor.

Then I became aware of a dark blob of color.

"Darth Vader."

The mask tilted as the Sith Lord appraised me. It was obvious that my greeting was rather standard. It made me wonder just how many of my brothers and sisters had died because of him.

"Jedi," he replied.

A flash of pain sparked with in. I winced and instinctively reached for the Force as I always did, needing the warmth and security of its comfort even more now than before. I was too vulnerable to risk playing the martyr and preventing the Force from reaching me.

I would just have to try and head off Ben if he sensed me, that was all.

But the Force was only but a very faint whisper to me. It trembled and quivered at the faintest touch, and I knew it was only because I was a daughter of the Force that I could sense it at all.

And from that whisper, I noted the smugness of Vader.

The Sith Lord took a step and started to walk around me, one slow deliberate step after another, silently gloating.

"Funny, I never remembered you being one for gloating," I commented.

"And I never met a Jedi so bent on focusing on the past," he countered calmly, voice unshakeable in its machine-origin.

"Perhaps. But I'm not just a Jedi, am I?"

Vader didn't say anything.

"There's a reason I'm not dead, Vader – or on my way to a slow end at your Master's hand. You want to know why I was in the company of your son, don't you? And why I know who you really are. Tell me, which burning question led you to defy your Master and keep me here, in Bespin?"

Vader turned his mask slightly.

Burning pain ripped through my body, sending every muscle into convulsions. I couldn't even scream; I was trapped in a flaming world crashing to pieces, and with each piece that fell a little more of my soul was torn brutally away, falling into a world of darkness and death. Everywhere I turned, it was pain, pain, _pain_ – and I could not break free of my prison. The Force offered no comfort; unconsciousness gave me no shelter; my mate was not there.

I was alone.

_Tell me who you are. Remind yourself, before you lose control over your mind._

I recoiled, as quickly as I could, from the mental probe. But it wasn't fast enough. My mind was weak, and with the drugs I was as susceptible as a youngling.

But I hadn't undergone the training of a Walker for nothing. The sun and moon was burned into my palms and blood and very soul – and it did not leave me. I still had some control over my mind.

"You'd love to know, wouldn't you, Vader?" I sneered as contemptuously as I could. "You'd love to know which Jedi had sneaked past you and Order 66 and your precious Empire for so long – and then you'd to present me as a bloody present to add to the cairn of Jedi that you have built the Empire on."

Another flash of blinding pain ripped through my body.

This time I had no conscious control – my mind shrieked in agony, and my voice followed.

"If you want to ask questions," Vader intoned calmly, "why don't you begin by answering mine?"

With what little strength I had left, I managed to spit out my final words. "You'll get . . . no answers . . . out of me, _Anakin_," I snarled, emphasizing his name and enjoying the rage that blossomed within him. "My secrets . . . are mine . . . and mine alone. . . They won't belong . . . to you . . . ever. I . . . will die . . . first."

Darth Vader didn't say anything for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"Then die you will. As will your friends."

And then the floor swallowed me whole to drop me back in the world of never-ending, overwhelming, consuming fire, and for the first time in my life, I wished against my will that I had the ability to use the Force to will my own death.

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
"You're being put into carbon freeze."

Lando's words rang unpleasantly in my ears – whatever that was, it did not sound good. Especially if they were doing it to Han.

It didn't help that I could overhear Fett demanding of Vader, "What if he doesn't survive? He's worth a lot to me."

"The Empire will compensate you if he dies," Vader rumbled. "Put him in!"

I swallowed hard.

Han could die due to this . . . experiment. Treatment. Torture. Whatever it was. I could lose him. After months and years of wanting to get rid of him, now that chance was staring me in the face – and quite suddenly, it was the last possible thing I wanted. I didn't _want_ to lose Han. I didn't want to leave him.

More importantly, I didn't want him to leave _me_.

Chewbacca let out a wild roar, and suddenly he was charging forward, furry fists swinging at any stormtrooper in his way. The only sounds were his furious howls, 3PO's desperate pleas, and the pained and shocked cries of the Imperial officers getting pummeled as they tried to simultaneously defend themselves and escort Han to the pit in the center of the room. Obviously, it wasn't going well for them.

"Stop, Chewie, stop! Do you hear me? Stop!" Han yelled, his voice breaking through to the Wookie.

3PO babbled something useless – I couldn't hear it, couldn't understand it.

Han slowly walked over to the Wookie, his face the most serious I had ever seen it. "Chewie! Chewie, this won't help me," he told him. "Hey!" He gave the Wookie the sternest look I had ever seen.

"Save your strength," he urged. "There'll be another time. The princess – you have to take care of her. You hear me?"

Chewbacca let out a mournful howl, but he backed towards me. He owed his life to Han. He would not disobey Han's last wish – which, touchingly enough, was to protect me now that he might be gone.

And then Han was coming towards me, and his face was the last thing I saw before I gave up the fight and kissed him.

Then guards were there, and they wrestled him away.

"I love you!" I called to him, realizing for the first time that I was unable to live with the fact that – instead of he admitting to loving me – that I could not live knowing he had died without knowing that I loved him.

"I know," he said simply.

The rest of the time passed in a blurb – the platform went down, and then Chewbacca stepped in front of me, blocking me from seeing anything but the shower of sparks and hissing of steam as the chamber activated. Tears poured from my eyes; I was unable to control them. I played over his words over and over again, unable to let them go. Unable to let Han go. But I was losing him anyways, and it was destroying me.

And then it was over.

Lando knelt by the metal block, checking something.

"Well, Calrissian, did he survive?" Vader demanded, his dark voice barely hiding the undercurrent of warning.

"Yes, he's alive. And in perfect hibernation," Lando noted, almost sadly.

My heart jumped. _Han is alive._

Then it sank. I had no way of doing anything about it now. Han was stuck. I couldn't get him out. What was the point of celebrating him alive? In that state, Han might possibly prefer to be dead instead of frozen solid.

"He's all yours, bounty hunter," Vader said.

My anger sparked again.

But again, there was nothing I could do. I just had to live with it.

I stared at the frozen form of Han, eyes closed, hands raised, desperation in his face. _I'll find you. I'll free you. I swear it. I can't do anything now, but I swear to you, Han, I'll find you and fix this. I _will_ do something the second I can._

"Reset the chamber for Skywalker."

Darth Vader's voice cut into my musings, and I remembered with a sickening jolt just why I hated the Sith Lord so much.

"Skywalker has just landed, my lord," someone chimed in.

"Good. See to it that he finds his way here." He whirled to Lando. "Calrissian, take the princess and the Wookiee to my ship."

Lando's eyes widened. "You said they'd be left in the city under my supervision," he protested.

"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."

Lando swallowed.

I felt no pity for him. Nor could I muster the fear of facing the Emperor back on Coruscant. Or even just facing Vader – and another Imperial interrogation and torture session – on his ship. My entire being was consumed by my promise to Han. And I _would_ follow through with it, one way or another.

Han was depending on me.

"What of the Jedi?" Lando dared to ask.

"_I_ will deal with her. Now go."


	31. Chapter 29

**_Chapter Twenty-Nine_**

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
Getting to Bespin was easy. Getting a landing platform was even easier. And getting into the city was so easy I could have been sleeping.

All the more reason to be suspicious.

But I could handle it.

I was stronger now, more experienced in the ways of the Force and way better at understanding and applying them. I wasn't as good as Ben yet, and I'd probably be half-dead by the time I caught up to Master Yoda, but I _was_ competent enough to pass as – as Ben called me – a Jedi Padawan on a field mission.

Not the best praise. But better than Master Yoda's.

Ben gave me a stern look as he unhooked his lightsaber. "We'll cover more ground if we split up," he told me. "Turn your comlink on – you don't need to talk, but do so anyways, so if you get into trouble, I'll know."

I nodded. "I'll look for Leia and Han and the others," I volunteered.

"If you find them, get to them to the _Falcon_ and take off; we can rendezvous outside Bespin. I'll try to find Kya."

"If I find her I'll tell you," I reassured him.

I wasn't completely privy to what the real relationship between Ben and Kya was, but I had been watching for some time now. Ben was a full Jedi Knight; he was free to act of his own will. But it also meant that he had spent most of his life within the Order, learning what they did – especially the rules _against_ attachment. Yet he had decided to come with me anyways after having a painful vision about Kya.

That spoke volumes about what she meant to him. It was more than just the comradeship between Jedi, as between Master Yoda and him. It was more than just friendship, like between him and me. I would even venture that it was more than between brother and sister, although of course I had no experience in that area.

No, something told me that there was something very strong was between Kya and Ben – strong enough to make Ben defy one of the central tenets of the Jedi Order.

But that was a mystery to solve another time. I could confront them later . . . when Leia and Han and Chewie were safe.

Ben didn't seem to notice that I, for once, was reassuring him. He only nodded and replied, "If I get to Han and Leia, I'll send them to the _Falcon_ and comm you. And you had better get out with them."

"Yes, sir," I said with a sigh.

I had gone from being a common farmboy to a Rebellion commander to a Jedi Padawan. Quite impressive changes, people said to me. But everywhere I went, I found one thing was the same – I got ordered around, presumably for my own benefit.

We came to a juncture in the corridor and with a quiet, "Be careful, Luke," Ben was gone.

I reached down and pulled out my blaster. I was a Jedi, and according to Master Yoda needed to carry no weapon but my lightsaber, but I wasn't quite ready to ease into that kind of defenseless yet. I was still a rookie with the lightsaber and had no desire to celebrate my first big fight with it by chopping off something vital, like one of my arms or legs.

An excited beeping and whistling emanated suddenly from behind me, and I almost fired at R2-D2.

_Be quiet, you! People can hear you! This is _supposed_ to be a _surprise_ attack!_

I glared at him, and he stopped in his tracks.

I peeked out from the corridor, wondering what had gotten R2 so excited he would forget something like that. Usually he was pretty good and figuring out how to react – usually it was 3PO who was completely out of line.

A bounty hunter clad head to toe in armor was walking slowly across the corridor in front, followed by two Bespin City guards pushing a floating bronze-colored . . . thing. It _looked_ like a statue. Or a sculpture. I wasn't quite sure what it was exactly – it looked flat, but two five-pronged objects poked out near the end and the surface wasn't completely flat, with depressions here and risings there, like an uneven-baked product. I edged out a little more, straining to see –

And got a bucket load of blaster fire.

_Oh, kriff!_

I returned fire, ducking as best I could, and was just debating whether to reveal that I was a Jedi to scram (as this obviously wasn't Leia and Han) when the Force surged.

Ben had told me to trust my instincts.

So I dived away from the wall with a yelp, rolling across the corridor to pop up at the other wall, my blaster ready –

The wall I had been standing by exploded.

I coughed, waving the smoke away frantically, and thanked whatever gods existed for surviving. _Okay, score number 1 for Ben. Always trust the Force_, I decided. Otherwise, I'd be laser-cooked. Or buried under the mound of wall chunks still clattering to the floor. I desired neither fate.

When everything cleared, I ran out into the hallway – but no one was there.

Puzzled, I lowered my blaster. I was a well-known Rebel; my face was plastered all over the Holonet, and the reward was even more tempting for any bounty hunters. _Why didn't they come after me?_

I reached out the Force, but I felt nothing. Whoever they were, they were gone now.

Then the Force thrummed.

_Oh, _kriff_. Don't tell me I just fell for the oldest trick in the book and got sneaked up on from behind. . ._

I whirled around – and my jaw dropped.

Leia, Chewie, and what I _thought_ was 3PO were being herded down a hallway by a man with billowing blue clothes and a squad of stormtroopers. They were obviously prisoners.

My heart sank. _So the Empire _is_ here. Oh, that just makes this _so_ much easier. . ._ I scanned the group again, breathing a sigh of relief when I noted no obvious wounds on any of them. Then I frowned. _And where is Han?_

As if hearing my question, Leia at that moment happened to turn as she began to enter another corridor.

"Luke?"

I took a step forward, raising my blaster to shoot –

"Luke, don't!" she screamed, fighting against the stormtrooper now forcing her into the hallway. Desperately, she seized the doorframe, struggling with everything she had, as Chewie and 3PO vanished. "Luke, don't – it's a trap! _It's a trap – _"

Then she vanished.

I raced after them into the hallway, ready to take them all down myself –

I stopped dead.

They were gone.

There was no sign of Leia, or Chewie, or 3PO, or even any of the stormtroopers. All of them had completely vanished.

_What the . . ._

I swiveled in a complete circle, straining my eyes – but there was no sign of them. I nearly groaned. I had lost them. _Well, I might as well keep going. . ._ I clambered forward, noting with unease the hissing pipes and billowing steam surrounding me. It was like Dagobah all over again – only I doubted I'd meet another child-sized, riddle-speaking, green-colored Jedi Master here this time.

A shaft of light caught my eye.

Curious, I walked towards it – and then nearly jumped out of my skin when it started moving.

_Maybe this is how they got out._

The platform brought me to another dark room with more pipes, more hissing, and a lot more steam. And, it that wasn't bad enough, the Force was prickling with unease.

I looked around, and then I realized why.

Vader was here.

I holstered my gun, unhooked my lightsaber, and took the steps two at a time. I was ready for this.

Surprisingly, then Vader spoke, instead of immediately attacking. "The Force is with you, young Skywalker," he rumbled. "But you are not a Jedi yet."

_I'm more a Jedi than you ever will be!_

I activated my lightsaber.

In an instant, Vader activated his.

Then I lunged, and with the hiss of our lightsabers connecting, I knew it was going to be a long fight.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
The Force returned to me in a single, overwhelming flood, and I was so surprised that when my restraints popped open I could do nothing but follow the flow and fall to the floor, unable to break my fall. My entire body ached from continual lashings of electricity and drugs and whatever else they had done to me, and I found that even with the Force, my strength was extremely diminished.

Then gentle hands were lifting me and cradling me close as a heartbroken voice murmured my name over and over again.

I opened my eyes to find Ben kneeling on the floor, his face anguished as he held me.

I tried to smile. "Ben."

"What – What have they _done_ to you?" he demanded, his voice cracking.

Ben was my mate. Whatever pained me pained him as well, but to him it was even worse to see me broken and defeated and be unable to do anything to alleviate my pain.

I pressed my face into his chest. I was powerful and independent and stubborn . . . but sometimes, I knew that I just wasn't up to everything. I could not _be_ everything. I had my weaknesses like everyone else. I could be taxed. I could be outwitted. I could be broken.

_I'm not sure. . . Probably standard Imperial interrogation tactics_, I told him, relishing in the feel of his mind brushing against my own.

Anger bloomed within him at my answer.

_They are fools to think that they can torture you and get away with him_, he replied, his muscles tensing as he tried to control himself from giving in to the impulse to hurt whoever had hurt me. It was completely against the Jedi Code, and he knew it – but he also knew that as my mate it was his duty above all else to protect me, and he would view my being tortured as a complete failure of that duty.

_It is not your fault_, I reminded him. _I sent you away with Luke for a reason. I . . . It was my fault._

Ben kissed me, his anger dying away. _Let's move on, shall we?_ he asked gently. _You are hurt; you need medical attention and rest first. I suppose I can be angry at you later._

I smiled. _I do need some sleep_, I admitted.

He lifted me easily, cradling me to his chest as I slipped an arm around his neck to steady myself as I tested to see whether my legs could bear my weight.

They could.

With a sigh, I reached out to the Force and called upon it to help me. Slowly, the pain receded to a dull ache and newfound strength washed away my fatigue. For now, at least, I could fight. I would rest later.

Then I remembered: "Wait, where is Luke?"

"I sent him off to find Leia and Han," Ben replied, frowning. "Why?"

"He won't find Han. And Leia . . ."

Memories returned, more quickly and vivid than they ever had, and with a jolt I realized exactly just how far we had fallen into the trap.

"Oh, Sithspawn! We need to get Luke out of here!"

"What – Why?" Ben demanded, easily keeping pace with me as he grabbed for his comlink and we ran down the corridor, calling on the Force to speed us towards where we sensed the others.

"Vader is here – this entire thing was a trap to ensure Han would be given to Fett and Luke would be sent off to Coruscant," I rattled off as quickly as I could. "We can't risk a confrontation with Vader if Luke wants to keep his arm intact. We need to find them and get out of here as quickly as we possibly can."

Ben cursed under his breath and jammed his comlink back into his belt. "Luke's not responding – he's shut his comlink off."

"I'd wager he's fighting Vader now, then."

"No," he said sharply.

I glance at him, confused. "What is it?" I asked, slowing down, confused by the sharpness in his voice.

"_No_," he repeated. "You are _not_ facing Vader in your condition. Find Leia and see if you can get to Han. I will deal with Luke and Vader."

"Ben – "

But he was gone.

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
I stopped, startled, when I realized that we were, for the second time in less than a day, completely surrounded.

A dozen guards dressed in Bespin City uniforms stood stiffly at the attention, weapons carefully trained on the stormtroopers surrounded us. The stormtroopers gave them one look, noted they were outnumbered, and slowly lowered their own weapons. The guards herded them away from us, slapping binders on their wrists as they confiscated their blasters.

Lando nodded at Lobot. "Well done. Hold them in the security tower – and keep it quiet," he warned. "Move."

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

"We're getting out of here," Lando muttered, fiddling with Chewbacca's binders.

Seconds later, the wrist binders snapped open and fell to the floor. With a roar, the Wookie grabbed his throat and forced him to his knees.

"Do you think that after what you did to Han we're going to trust you?" I asked coldly.

I felt no pity for him. He had betrayed us in the worst possible way. And now Han was on his way straight into the Hutt's den. If Chewbacca hadn't grabbed him, I might have seized a blaster and shot him myself. It was an impulsive move, but I felt that the man completely deserved it – and more.

"I had no choice," Lando choked out.

"What are you doing? Trust him, trust him!" 3PO pleaded desperately.

I ignored the droid.

"Oh, so we understand, don't we, Chewie?" I asked sarcastically. "He had no choice."

Lando pushed at Chewie's hands, trying to free himself – or perhaps just trying to breathe. I didn't care either way.

"I'm . . . just trying . . . to help," he wheezed.

"We don't need any of your 'help'," I said defiantly, scooping up a blaster.

"H-a-a-a . . ."

"What?" I said absently, fiddling with the safety and familiarizing myself with the weapon. I had trained with blasters before. Now that training would finally come in handy.

"It sounds like Han," 3PO said slowly.

Lando gasped, "There's still . . . a chance . . . to save . . . Han . . . at the . . . East . . . Platform . . ."

_Is he lying again? He must be. He's done it more than once already to us. I was supposed to stay here, not go with Vader. . ._

Yet another voice, quiet yet fierce, insisted, _It's Han! You're going to abandon him just because a liar said it? It might be your only chance to get Han back. . ._

And with that, I made my decision.

"Chewie," I said.

Chewie released Lando at once, and we took off running. The East Platform wasn't far, and if we saved Han . . . I might consider life's imprisonment rather than painful death for Lando once we got back to the Rebllion.

Might.

"R2! R2! Where have you been?"

I tossed a glance over my shoulder – sure enough, the little blue astromech was frantically beeping and scooting after us.

My heart sank. The last time I had seen R2, he had been with Luke. If he was separated from him, then it meant that either Luke was still searching for us . . . or caught in Vader's trap and fighting for his life.

_Focus, Leia. One problem at a time._

_Save Han._

_ Then save Luke._

I took a deep breath and pushed myself to go even faster.

A few minute later, we were racing out of the corridor into a large bay that overlooked the platform. I could see the two workers who had pushed Han out of the chamber there, and Fett's ship was there on the platform –

And then the engines fired, and Fett blasted off.

_No!_

I fought the impulse to cry. We had lost Han. We had been so _close_ – and we had failed him.

_I_ had failed him.

_Oh, Han. . ._

Chewie let loose a ferocious howl and started firing wildly at the ship. I didn't bother to stop him. It was useless – but with Han gone, so was everything else.

It took a shout from 3PO to rouse me from my apathy.

"Oh, no! They're behind you!"

A bolt exploded near enough to make me jump, and I whirled to see a squad of stormtroopers hot on our trail, blasters blazing round after round in our direction. Within seconds, I was returning fire, summoning all my anger and frustration and taking it out on every unfortunate trooper that came within range.

But it wasn't enough.

We were solidly outnumbered.

Then one trooper gave a startled shout and collapsed. A blur of tan and brown leaped into the fray, and a hissing blue light suddenly was part of the fight. Troopers were there one moment and dead and down on the floor the next. Within approximately ten seconds, the entire squad was completely demolished.

The person turned towards us, clear relief on her face.

"Leia, Chewbacca," Kya said, walking towards me as she deactivated her lightsaber. "Are you hurt?"

Wordlessly, I shook my head.

She nodded. "I am sorry about Han," she said gently. "But if we are to pursue him, first we must get out so we can get him back."

I took a deep breath. She was right. "Yes, Jedi Ranor, I understand."

"Good. Now, get to the _Falcon_, and wait there. Take off if you must to avoid the Imperials. Ben has already gone after Luke, and I need to help them. I can't do that if I'm worrying about you disobeying me. Once we get Luke, we'll contact you and we'll form a plan from there. Am I understood?"

_Luke._ I felt a pang of fear. He was no match for Vader alone. He would need all the help he could get from Ben and Kya.

"Yes," I answered.

"Then be safe."


	32. Chapter 30

A/N: Sorry for the week-late update; as everyone has probably found out, Fanfiction is having some issues with letting us reach our stories due to some site errors. I did find a way around the error, so I can post regularly now, so, my apologies!

* * *

**_Chapter Thirty_**

~ _Darth Vader_ ~  
The boy was impulsive and aggressive and quick – all trademarks of youth and inexperience. I could have dueled him half-sleep and exhausted and still won. As it was now, the only reason I hadn't won yet was because I was reluctant to damage him, and damaging him was the only way to make him stop completely.

So I settled for Dun Möch.

"You have learned much, young one," I told him.

It wasn't completely a lie. I could see traces of Ataru and Soresu in his style, and it was defined enough to make me realize just how much old Kenobi had been able to impart to Luke before he died.

But it was enough to make the boy smirk. "You'll find I'm full of surprises," he boasted.

_Indeed? Then let's see one._

For the first time, I went on the offensive, slashing out in two quick moves designed to surprise and then disarm an opponent. Only an experienced Jedi would be able to avoid the attack – or a very lucky one.

Which the boy clearly wasn't.

Another slash sent the now-disarmed boy leaping backwards, where he lost his balance and rolled down the stairs to sprawl out dazedly on the floor.

_Surely my old Master would have taught you about the dangers of overconfidence?_ I gathered the Force to me as I prepared to jump. _But perhaps not. After all, he did not have much time to teach you, admittedly. . . _

The boy rolled away just in time to avoid being squashed.

_Well, his danger sense works._

"Your destiny lies with me, Skywalker. Obi-Wan knew this to be true."

I knew that touching upon his deceased teacher would hit a nerve – in fact, I intended it to. And it certainly did.

"No!" Luke snapped.

_Ah, such touching loyalty. . . Such _blinding_ loyalty. . . The same loyalty I held before I realized just how worthless it was. . . Just how _meaningless_ it was. . ._

I would _not_ lose my son to Kenobi as I had lost my wife. Luke was _my son_. And he was _mine_.

And the only way to keep him was to bring him into my grip.

With that empowering thought, I lashed out in a flurry of offensive blows, employing the power that experience gave me. Left and right, up and down, sideways and straight, feint and real – I used all the tricks I could possibly think of. In short, my fighting style was constantly shifting. A real Jedi could have easily bypassed it, as without a suitable style, I really had no defense.

But Luke wasn't a real Jedi yet.

A few moments later, he was right where I wanted him. A single, tiny Force push sent him tumbling over the edge into the pit. Another Force push started the mechanics. I turned back just in time for the rising steam that signified the beginning of the procedure.

I deactivated my lightsaber.

"All too easy," I murmured to myself – and the unresponsive Luke. "Perhaps you are not as strong as the Emperor thought."

As liquid metal began to pour into the pit, I reached for the Force. Solo had survived, but that wasn't a 100% pass. I needed to be sure that my son survived. The Force rippled out from me in waves towards the pit, but . . . nothing was there. Nothing alive, anyways. So either the experiment had failed and the boy was dead, or . . .

I looked straight up.

The boy was hanging from hoses on the outlet about fifteen feet in the hair.

Despite myself, I felt a tiny bit of pride. Such a jump could not have been made without aid from the Force. And quick action – I had moved the start-up lever only seconds after I'd pushed him in.

"Impressive," I said aloud, "most impressive. . ."

He leaped down to the platform on the other side of the now useless pit. The Force surged with the concentrated power that was the trademark of a true Jedi as he outstretched his hand and called to his lightsaber, and then a blue light sprouted from his hand as he ignited it. In response, I activated my own, although I doubted he could really do me that much harm.

"Obi-Wan has taught you well," I conceded reluctantly as I parried. Or, at least, taught the boy a good starting point we could move on from. It got tiring teaching people about the basics. "You have controlled your fear . . . now release your anger."

The boy retreated, eyes less concentrated, as if with my words I had shocked him. Now his anger at my mentioning the old man was more controlled, shoved aside and replaced by concentration.

_Perhaps a little too quickly._

But then the concentration solidified, and suddenly the boy was on attack. And unlike me, he was using a real style – actually, _two_ styles: Djem So and Ataru.

I wasn't impressed by the Ataru; old Kenobi had specialized in it before he took on Soresu.

I _was_ impressed by the Djem So. My old Master had some basic knowledge, as almost every Jedi Master, but he hadn't liked the aggressiveness of it and he had avoided it. He would have taught Ataru. He would have taught Soresu. He would have taught anything – _but_ Djem So, the most aggressive form after Vaapad.

So, perhaps, I wasn't wrong to encourage Luke's hate and anger.

"Only your hatred can destroy me," I goaded.

The boy's eyes flashed. For the first time, anger flared within the light blue depths. _So. He does want me to suffer for Kenobi's death. Yet he also wants to respect Kenobi's memory. Interesting._

_And all too exploitable._

The results were seen immediately.

The boy launched a new attack – random yet skilled. It wasn't a clear form, but it was successful enough to drive me backward, even if I hadn't wanted to be driven backward by him.

_ Only a few more steps. . . _

As realistically as possible, I mimed being taken by surprise by the edge of the platform, subsequently losing my balance, and falling into the dark pit below. Then, as soon as I was out of Luke's line of sight, I drew the Force to myself as to cushion my landing and then to silence my ventilator as I backed away. The shadows hovered close, hiding me from all but the sharpest eyes.

Moments later, I heard a soft thud, and smiled despite the pain.

_The trap is set._

Carefully, I moved out of the tunnel into a large window with floor-to-ceiling windows on one side. I surveyed it quickly and gave it an approving nod; it would do for now. It would not be the best place, but it was a start.

A sharp _snap-hiss_ alerted me to the fact that the boy had finally caught up.

My own lightsaber leaped into my hand and ignited – but I did not intend to use it. I had already tested the boy's skill with the blade, and he was competent. Now I had to know the extent of his ability to manipulate the Force and let the Force manipulate him. It was no easy task; it had taken me many years when I was younger.

A nudge in the Force had a piece of machinery flying towards the boy's back.

To my surprise, the boy chose – instead to dodge – to whirl around and actually slice at the projectile, leaving him vulnerable to blade and more projectiles.

_Hmm. He still has much yet to learn. . ._

A twitch of my finger had yet another piece of machinery hurtling at the boy. Then part of a pipe. Then wires, sparking fiercely, whipping at him with brutal, unpredictable lashes here and there. Then a toolbox of tools, hurled one after another to spring across the room towards the boy. Then equipment and machinery, one of which shoot out the window and caused fierce winds to howl around the room.

I gathered all of my power to me to center myself, becoming unmovable.

The boy, bruised, battered, and weary, was not.

With one more bombardment, he fell out of the window, falling heavily to and then rolling off of the gantry below.

I surveyed him. Not _quite_ the best defense. But then again, he was still very young – and very naïve. There was a lot he would have to learn, from my Master and from me, before he was ready to take up the mantle of the Sith.

Quite enough time to fully erase any teaching from my old Master.

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
I pulled the Force to me with all the power that I could, sending out the search in waves after waves. The answer came immediately – the ripples returned stagnant, and dark, and twisted by the whispering malice of the dark side.

I only ran faster.

I knew the general layout of the city; I had been here with Kya, after all. And I could hazard a pretty good guess as to where Vader and Luke had ended up.

_Foolish boy. And yet, no less than I would have expected._

Anakin would have done the same thing. He _had_ done the same thing many times, causing Qui-Gon and Tahl and I all sorts of headaches and troubles. But, again, it was no less than I had expected. Anakin had an open heart – to him, things were right and things were wrong, and it was his job, now that he was free and a Jedi, to right all the wrongs that he possibly could.

Luke was just the same.

Only Luke had significantly _less_ training than Anakin ever had, and Vader was a far greater opponent than any save Sidious himself.

I burst into the reactor core room – and found it empty. Glass was scattered all over the ground; machinery and tools and equipment were here and there; and the dark side was here, stronger than I had ever felt it since we had faced Drakale, the fallen Walker himself.

I peered out the window, my heart racing. Surely Luke had not fallen . . .

Then I spotted the tell-tale flash of blue, red, and purple lights sent spinning across the walls.

_Luke._

I leaped out the window and ran up to the gantry.

Luke was there. He was bloody and bruised, and the Force spoke of exhaustion, exhaustion, and more exhaustion. Vader was beating him down.

"You are beaten," the Sith Lord rumbled, weaving another threatening slash at Luke almost playfully, knowing he was too tired to offer a sufficient defense. "It is useless to resist. Don't let yourself be destroyed as Obi-Wan did."

I fumbled with my lightsber, nearly slicing my own fingers off. _Obi-Wan?_ That was my name – but Vader wasn't . . . _couldn't_ be speaking about me. . . He didn't even know I existed yet. Unless Luke had – but no, he couldn't have, because I wasn't dead and therefore he had to be speaking about someone else. . .

My counterpart here? He was dead?

Oh, that was just _wonderful_ news. Now Vader would think I was coming back from the dead or something.

Assuming, of course, that I even looked anything like my "brother" – which I didn't think I did, else the people of the Rebel Alliance would not have needed assurances that I was a Jedi.

The Force screamed in danger.

My head went up, my heart leaped into my throat, my hand went out – and then, the next thing I knew, Vader was spinning around to confront me.

"I would have thought that you knew enough about maiming to not want someone else to face the same pain, Vader," I said, injecting all the power that I could into my words while casting a disdainful glare at the mechanical arms and legs that made up his entire body. "Especially when that someone is someone you are trying to convert to the dark side."

The Force rumbled with uncertainty; obviously, Vader vaguely recognized me. He just didn't realize why.

If I could just keep his attention away from Luke long enough. . .

But it was already too late.

"_Jedi!_" he snarled.

Vader's hand curled into a fist, and before I could react, I felt my windpipe contract and suddenly my source of air was cut off. Instinctively my hands went to my throat, even though my rational brain knew there was nothing there to pull away. My vision started going red at the edges, and my feeble attempts to reach the Force came to naught.

"No!"

And suddenly Luke was there at my side, searching frantically for something, anything he could do.

Vader summoned his lightsaber back to him; I saw the red blade activate. He advanced slowly, step by step, vengeful glee in his aura, knowing that Luke would not abandon me and that I could not escape.

With what little strength I had in me, I inserted myself into Luke's mind.

_ Luke, _go_! Don't mind me – Vader wants you! Find the _Falcon_ and _get out of Bespin_! Now!_ I added fiercely, sensing his resistance.

Then, with a creaking _clang_, the door behind us slammed shut, squealing in protest as Vader squished it with the Force, making opening it in time more of a wishful fantasy than the reality it should have been. Now Luke wouldn't have the _time_ to get away, not unless Vader _let_ him get away, and I doubted that that would happen now that Vader was so close to getting Luke after all this time. . . And my mind was starting to scream for air; I had no way of creating a distraction, no way at all. . .

"There is no escape," Vader pronounced, standing over us and enjoying the power he held.

Luke activated his lightsaber, waving the blue blade threatening at the Sith Lord in a an attempt at defense.

"Don't make me destroy you," Vader warned, switching his lightsaber to his other hand with casual elegance born of long training. One slice, and both our heads would be gone. "You do not yet realize your importance. You have only begun to discover your power.

"Join me," he announced, stretching out his hand pleadingly, "and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this destructive conflict and bring order to the galaxy."

Luke glared at Vader. "I'll never join you!" he hissed, angry venom in every syllable.

The pleading hand transformed into an angry fist. "If you only knew the power of the dark side." He lowered his hand and looked directly at Luke. "Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father."

"He told me enough!" Luke retorted, rising to his feet and moving to mirror Vader's movements. "He told me you killed him."

"No. I – "

Vader went flying backwards suddenly at the same time that another powerful _clang_ told me the door had been forced open. The Force swelled with power – and then my throat was clear and unobstructed, and my mind calmed, sinking into dizzying relief, as my lungs heaved to take in every breath of air that it could.

_Sleep!_

It was an order, and even though Vader struggled to rise, after the command he went still. The Force was laced into even implication of the command, and I felt sleepiness settle into my limbs – and then our bond pulsed, flooding with warmth, and I gathered enough strength to shake off the command.

"Kya?" Luke asked.

She ignored him and helped me up, her eyes wide with worry. _Force choke._ Her voice was grim. _I haven't seen him use that in years. . . But then again, you _were_ an unexpected interruption. . ._

_I am fine_, I assured her gently.

_You had better be._

Kya turned to Luke with a frown, crossing her arms. "Luke," she scolded. "Vader could have killed you – do you have any idea just how many Jedi _Masters_ have fallen to his blade? One wrong move and you would have lost your arm, or your leg, or your head."

"But he didn't _want_ to kill me," Luke countered, standing his ground. "He wanted me to help him."

Her frown deepened. "He was trying to turn you."

"And Ben didn't fare much better."

Kya sighed. "I'll deal with this mess later. For now . . ." She walked slowly over to Vader's prone form and knelt by his side. The Force rippled outwards from her, and I sensed Vader relax into unconsciousness.

"What did you do to him?" Luke asked warily.

"Force-command," she said idly. "He won't wake until I lift the command, not even if we were to give him electroshocks or send Force-lightning at him. It's a little trick the Adepts of the White Current use sometimes when they wish to restrain someone without hurting them."

Luke still looked wary.

_You are very lucky the Council didn't see you do that_, I said disapprovingly. It had worked, yes; but it was an unprovoked attack and strayed extremely close to the dark side.

_The Council is not here, and I don't care. It worked. That's all I care about right now. Besides, he'll be easier to move now._

_Move?_ I repeated.

_Well, yes. How else are we supposed to heal him?_

Heal _him?_

_Yes, we have to get him out of this blasted suit and then we have to bring him back to the light – you know what, would you just get over here and help me get him to the _Falcon_?_


	33. Chapter 31

**_Chapter Thirty-One_**

**3 ABY**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
"They have questions."

"They'll be answered soon enough."

"That may not be enough for them. They've waited nearly twenty years."

"Then they can afford to wait two more days."

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"No. But it's the best I've got. Alderaan or Naboo would be my top choice, but . . . but Alderaan is gone, and Naboo is too closely watched. And I do not want to involve the Alliance just yet; they'll jump to too many conclusions."

"They could help us contain him."

"I don't want Vader contained. I want him healed. And this facility might be the only way."

Ben groaned and pushed himself upright, his expression disgruntled as he gazed down at me. I moved my head to my pillow, not breaking my eye connection or backing down. He had valid points – but I held the ace. And I wasn't letting go. This was the only way, and no matter how many times he kept pushing the same argument over and over again, I was not going to give in.

But he kept trying.

It was a testament, I knew, to the love he felt for me, and the anger he felt at my being tortured on Bespin. And I valued that.

But I knew too that without Vader, we could not fulfill our task here.

Well, not without dying, anyways.

"And _why_ are we healing the same man who not only destroyed the Jedi Temple but caused _you_ considerable pain?" Ben demanded, crossing his arms. "Why are we giving him the weapons to go after you and the Jedi once more? _Why_?"

"Ben – "

"No. Enough. Tell me, else I shall refuse to go any further with this crazy plan. And Luke and Leia and Han will agree with me."

I sighed, closing my eyes. He had me there, and he knew it. _This is the one _downside_ to having a mate who shares your every thought – he knows too much about your weaknesses._

_Everyone has a weakness, Kya, whether you like it or not._

"I know," I murmured. "But it doesn't make it any easier to bear."

He slid back down beside me, blue-green eyes softening as he reached for me and brought me close. _And why must you bear it alone, my love? You are a Walker, but you are not invincible. No one is. The Force did not bond us together for me to worry in the background whilst you carry all the burdens of the universe upon you._

Still, I hesitated.

He had a point. Even Lady Elizabeth had said as much, had told me I was concealing too much from Ben. We were soulmates, bound by heart and mind and soul, bonded so closely that sometimes the distinction between us blurred. We were meant to work as one – but to do that, we had to know the other.

Ben didn't know everything about me.

But it was for a _reason_. I didn't do things randomly. I did them for a reason. And this reason was a good one.

Ben was already tortured enough by some of the memories of my youth, unable to reconcile logic with his overwhelming fear, anger, and helplessness at seeing the pain I had endured while he had lingered in peace and ignorance. To release everything, all of my pain, every one of my deepest fear, every darkest secret – I wasn't ready to do that yet. Apart from my desire to keep my secrets my own, I knew that paining him would simply bring more pain to me as well.

In that sense, I was a bit of a coward.

Ben touched my cheek. _You are no coward. But you are accustomed to keeping your secrets. I understand that. But when it puts you in danger . . . or in pain . . ._

"I'm not ready."

It was the truth. But even as I said it, I could feel the tears burning in my eyes. Keeping secrets meant that I didn't trust him, even though Ben was incapable of even _thinking_ of hurting me, and it trapped me in a lose-lose situation. Telling him would bring pain. Not telling him would bring pain. Either way, he suffered – and then I suffered, watching him suffer.

Ben gathered me closer. _You are not perfect. I don't expect you to be._ He sighed, finally abandoning his venture in face of the difficulties it brought up. _You should sleep._

_I'm not tired._

He snorted. _I beg to differ. Now sleep, or I'll use the Force to knock you out._

I scowled, burying my face in his chest. _When did you become my healer?_ I grumbled, pressing myself closer to him.

_Since you became my wife. Now sleep._

_No more questions?_

_I shall lay them to rest. For now. We still have at least another day. The questions can wait until you are fully rested; I shall do you no good by driving you to exhaustion and then demanding you deal with Vader in the cargo hold._

_You could face him for me._

Ben's arms tensed. _Not if you want him in one piece_, he said, his voice displaying for the first time a hint of the anger he felt towards Vader.

_That would be interesting._

He sighed. _Enough, my love. You're exhausted. Sleep._

I smiled into his chest, grateful for his comforting presence. I was powerful, but it was certainly nice to have steady, unwavering support once in a while. Ben provided that support without question or hesitation even at the worst of times – which was the very reason, I knew instantly, that the Force had brought us together. I was a Walker, but we were not infallible or invincible. We needed others too. I needed Ben.

I just needed some more time before I was ready to take that particular leap. I knew he would catch me, but I wasn't ready to take the plunge just yet.

"Ben?"

"Hmm?"

"Set our destination for Polis Massa," I said sleepily.

Then the Force surrounded me, and I drifted off into comforting darkness, too tired to fight against his sleep-suggestion.

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
"Polis Massa?" I repeated.

Ben nodded as he leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He had discarded his Jedi cloak and shed the outer layers of his tunic, leaving him in what I guessed passed for a field Jedi's sleepwear. But it did not detract from the confidence or power that broadcasted from him; it just showed us a glimpse the human side of the Jedi warrior.

It was something, at least. I still had trouble envisioning Ben or Kya as anything _but_ Jedi warriors.

"Kya says that they have certain technology she thinks we need," he explained. "I can't explain anything more because I have no idea myself."

I frowned. Kya and Ben seemed awfully close – even closer, it seemed, than comrades. It was hard to explain, but it was just something about the way they interacted: how close they were, how easily they got along, how comfortable they were with each other. . . There was just something that told me that they were closer than the average Jedi team.

Luke seemed to think the same way. "Why? Usually you two are so in tune. . ."

"In tune?" Ben chuckled, shaking his head as though it was a statement he wished rather than knew was personally true. "On the contrary, we're usually quite at opposite ends. It's just a matter of how well we can conceal our disputes from outsiders. And besides, when both of you are using the Force for long periods of time, you eventually pick up on what the other is doing, whether you meant to or not."

Luke seemed to take it as an acceptable answer.

I did not.

I wasn't a Jedi – I didn't have the same kind of powers as Luke or Ben or Kya. But I did have the guts about me to know when something was acceptable and when it was not.

"You two aren't just a Jedi team, are you?" I asked.

Ben didn't move, but something changed in his eyes. A cool, impassive mask slid over his face, turning his normally friendly eyes into something that was unreadable and distant – in fact, almost _ominous_, as though warning me not to poke too far into something that wasn't my business.

"Of course not," he said finally, surprising me. "Kya and I have known each other for many years – ever since we were both apprentices, in fact. And we have been paired together in the field more times than I can count. So, yes, I would say we are more than just a Jedi team. I would say that we are friends."

"And more than friends?"

The coolness turned into icy disapproval. A hint of danger flashed in his eyes, a warning of what would come if I set so much as a toe over the line.

"Jedi are allowed," he said, "to form friendships. But our abilities often ensure that bonds deeper than friendship form. It is a usual result when you have opened your mind to someone more than once to the point where you can anticipate their moves and they can anticipate yours."

I fell silent. Obviously, I had crossed a line, one that set him on the defensive.

"I'm sorry," I said instead. "I'm afraid I don't know much about the Jedi Order – the Empire has seen to that."

He relaxed somewhat. "It is all right, Princess Leia," he replied. "I forget that sometimes that this is a different . . . I am used to danger, and I am also used to the dangers of traveling with a female companion. People sometimes make assumptions or carry misconceptions about the Jedi, and I am used to dealing with those issues. I forget that this is a completely different atmosphere than from that."

For a moment, guilt flashed through me. He was used to an older time, a very different time. He still needed some time to adjust before I started wheedling information out of him.

"For now, though, we need to go to Polis Massa and wait until she feels ready to disclose whatever reasons she has. If Kya requests it, it is no idle wish of hers – especially not with the passenger we have," he added grimly.

"You don't like him either, do you?" I realized.

Ben's eyes flickered, but the mask evaporated somewhat. He grimaced. "Not remotely," he answered. "I do not hate him, for that is against the way I raised – but nor do I like him, either. He has dealt, I feel, too much pain to me and mine for quick forgiveness." He sighed. "But don't mind me. I am prejudiced against him anyways."

"Why?" I asked. _If a _Jedi_ has prejudices and misgivings, then we should know._

Ben smiled slightly, as if he knew my unspoken thought. "Misgivings do not mean that they are true," he told me. "And I will not voice them unless they have merit."

Luke snorted. "Because torturing your partner of twenty odd years _isn't_ merit," he muttered sarcastically.

Ben's expression tightened, as though he was poking too deep into an already stinging wound. I surveyed his expression, noting the smallest exposure of pain concealed behind an iron wall of self-control. _Perhaps he is not as unaffected by Kya's torture as he tries to lead us to believe. He is only human at the end of the day, after all. . ._

"Vader will face his due course when the time comes," was all Ben said. "I assure you, Kya did not go through all of this trouble merely to return a gift-wrapped-Vader into the Emperor's hands on Coruscant."


	34. Chapter 32

**_Chapter Thirty-Two_**

**3 ABY**

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
"You want to do _what_?" Leia all but shouted.

All circumstances considered, it wasn't exactly an overreaction. My bottom jaw was somewhere in the bottom plating of the _Falcon_. Chewie looked like someone had just told him that the Emperor had resigned and was letting him take his place. Even Ben, who was usually so close and attuned to Kya, seemed taken aback, eyes wide in a rare slip of his self-control.

Kya seemed unruffled. "I want to bring Vader to Polis Massa because they have were among the team that reassembled Vader in his suit twenty years ago, and they are the ones who can give him back his normal body."

"But _why_?" Leia persisted. "He is a monster, Kya – you know of the damage and the tyranny he is capable of."

"A monster?" Kya shook her head, a thoughtful expression on her face. "Perhaps. But evil does not always come from evil, Leia. Oftentimes, it comes from good."

I snorted. Vader had ordered the destruction of Alderaan and the targeting of Yavin IV and Hoth. He had imprisoned Han in carbonite and given him to Jabba. He had tortured Leia and Kya without any sign of remorse. And then he had tried to slice my hand off and choke Ben during our duel. If there was good, I would be hard-pressed to see it.

"And where might this 'good' be?" I asked. "I see no evidence. He _tortured_ us, Kya."

Kya opened her mouth – but Ben beat her to it.

"Kya," he said softly, "maybe he was good once. But it has been twenty years . . . twenty years for him to linger on the price he paid during his Trial of Sacrifice. He blames the Jedi for that – you know that. It will not be easy to convince him otherwise."

"Maybe?" Leia echoed incredulously, her gaze switching to Ben. "I doubt he was ever good. How can a monster like him have _ever_ been good?"

Kya sighed and lowered herself into a seat. "He was good once," she remarked. "A skilled man, a loyal man, a _good_ man. We all trusted him, and loved him, and counted him among our allies. But . . . But sometimes that is not enough."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously. "Did you . . . Did you know Vader . . . before?"

Just then, Old Obi-Wan's words rang through my mind, faint but clear: _A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father. Now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force._

Back then, I hadn't understood the gravity of his words. Now I did.

"So Vader was a Jedi," I said slowly, answering my own question, "once, a long time ago." I looked up. "Did you know him then?"

A smile of equal regret and fondness arose on Kya's face. It made her seem old and weary, which was a considerable feat. She must have been in her late thirties or forties if she had been alive and old enough to serve among the Jedi and the clones during the Clone Wars, but to my eyes she had always looked young, as though she was frozen at age twenty or so, and could not appear older. That is, unless one looked at the depth of her sapphire eyes, and saw the wisdom and pain that only experience of many years could bring.

"Yes," she murmured. "I knew him once, before he fell. In fact, I served alongside him. My Master often entrusted me into his care if he could not see to me personally."

"What was he like?"

"Bold. Impulsive. Rash." She looked at me. "Much like you, truth be told."

"Did he . . . I mean . . . Were he and my father friends?" I asked tentatively. If my father had been as skilled as Old Obi-Wan had told me, surely he could have held his own against Vader – unless something had stayed his hand and blinded his eyes . . . something like friendship.

"No. They were rivals."

I blinked. _Really?_ I tried to imagine the scene – my father, bold and strong and noble, against Vader, dark and menacing and evil. It wasn't easy. How would my father have lost?

"Because he cared too much," Kya said suddenly, the glint in her eyes telling me that she had picked up on my thought and was answering it. "He cared too much for those he loved and was therefore manipulated into following a path he regrets even now, even though he refuses to admit it to anyone."

I stared at her. "Darth Vader" and "caring" were concepts so far apart I couldn't even _begin_ to imagine them together, much less the Sith Lord actually _loving_ someone and someone loving him back.

Leia seemed to have similar problems. "Darth Vader? Actually loving someone?" she repeated with a skeptical snort. "I find that impossible."

Ben didn't say anything, but when I glanced at him, his eyes were narrowed and his whole body tense, as though ready to leap up at the slightest provocation. Kya and him seemed to be locked in a staring contest of some sort, blue-green challenging sapphire, both demanding something of the other. But as I watched, Ben sighed, nodded, and leaned backwards, as though satisfied with whatever answer their telepathic bond had provided, while she shifted her gaze away, as though embarrassed at having lost the battle.

"Of course," he murmured quietly. "But are they ready?"

"I cannot answer their questions any other way," she replied just as softly. "And if they are not ready now, they never will be. We cannot wait much longer – either we reveal it, or they find out the hard way."

"Very well," he said grudgingly.

Leia's patience ended right about there.

"Can you at least acknowledge that we are here, and exist, and can actually speak for ourselves?" she snapped challengingly, her brown eyes flashing between both Jedi.

Kya raised an eyebrow. "Are you certain you wish to know?" she asked, a trace of gentle rebuke in her tone instead of the condescension I had thought she would respond with. "Sometimes there are things you are not ready to know, and you have to place your trust in those older than you to determine when you are ready."

"You're not much older than me, and if you dare to talk about it in front of us," Leia pointed out, "you mean to tell us eventually. So tell us."

For a long moment, there was silence.

Then Ben leaned back against the wall. "Impressive," he commented, crossing his arms. "They do have a point, Kya."

"And how much are _you_ willing to reveal?" she shot back.

He shrugged, a simple lift and drop of his shoulders that expressed how much interest he really had. They did not mean to offend or exclude us, I realized; they just were not quite sure how to go about telling us . . . whatever they were about to tell us. We were not the easiest audience, with Leia itching to go after Han and I itching to get back to Dagobah and the both of us torn between that and our desire to find out exactly _why_ Kya was insisting on transporting Vader back to Polis Massa to have his body restored and the suit removed.

"It is your choice, Walker," he said, an odd, formal tone entering his voice at the last word that told me it was a title, not just a noun.

Kya scowled. "That's not helpful at all."

"Why don't you start from the beginning?" I interrupted. "The _real_ beginning – how you know my father, how you two met, and why we are bringing the Alliance's worst enemy to be healed."

Kya and Ben shared a single glance.

"Very well," she conceded. "I suppose it is only fair. . ."

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
Kya was brief when describing our meeting on Naboo, careful not to speak about the whole muddle of alternate universes and Walkers and soulmates. She made it appear as though we had met simply by chance and had continued our friendship from there. It wasn't quite the whole truth the two wanted, but for now I knew it was the most truth Kya was comfortable revealing.

She spent more time, however, detailing the Clone Wars, and the prowess of Anakin and the aid Bail Organa had rendered. I jumped in from time to time, but for the most part I was content in allowing her to take center stage.

Then we finally hit the touchy topic – Luke and Leia's connection to Vader.

"Tell me, Leia," Kya inquired, "what do you remember about your parents? Your _real_ parents, not Senator Organa and Queen Breha."

Leia did not answer immediately. Something warred across her face, matching the emotional battle that I could feel even where I sat about five feet away from her. Someone – perhaps a Jedi in hiding or perhaps simply her instructors in diplomacy – had trained her to control her facial expression and protect herself from mind manipulation through the Force, things would assist her as a politician as well as protect her from the Empire, but her training was limited even when compared to Luke, and she could not conceal everything from us.

_Hmm. She will need some training as well, if she is to help us when we face the Emperor_, I noted.

_Yes. But not yet._

I blinked. _She – She doesn't know?_

_Bail thought it best for her to be ignorant; that would make it harder for anyone else, especially servants of the Emperor, to pick up on her Force-ability._

Kya had a fair point, I had to admit. Her ignorance would shield her from the Empire, and if anyone found out, Senator Organa and her could claim rightful innocence that would protect them from prosecution.

But still . . . The longer one waited to begin training, the harder it was to actually train. And Leia, although stronger than the average Jedi, was nowhere near as strong as Luke, and Luke already still struggled to keep up with his training. Leia's training would be even more arduous, I sensed, and would most likely come into conflict with everything else she had learned as a politician.

"Not much. I remember . . ." She closed her eyes, and the Force rippled gently. "I remember a woman, I think. She was very beautiful. And kind. But . . . also very sad. That's it."

Kya looked away, and I saw the flash of grief on her face. Then she said, her voice lower than normal, "Yes, she was sad. But she loved you enough to survive long enough to name you and see you before she died."

Leia looked at her sharply. "You knew her?"

"I was with her when she died."

Leia blinked, and the Force swelled with confusion. It was obvious that she did not understand. But she was too stunned to speak.

Kya turned to Luke. "And you, Luke, what do you know of your parents?"

He shrugged. "Not much," he admitted, scratching his head as though wishing more memories would pop in. "Old Obi-Wan told me that he was a great fighter and a great pilot during the Clone Wars, but that's about all I know."

I snorted. "Great trouble-maker, more like," I remarked scathingly.

_Ben. . ._ Kya said.

_What? I am not lying. I can count on one hand the number of times Anakin did _not_ cause us grief in one way or another._

"Very well. I suppose I can't expect much more. But at least I have a foundation to begin with." Kya straightened. "Luke, your father was a Jedi Knight called Anakin Skywalker, a very famous warrior in the Clone Wars. And Leia, your mother was Senator Padmé Naberrie Amidala of Naboo – I know you have heard of her," she added, seeing how Leia's eyes widened as she gasped.

"Then . . . Then who was my father?" Leia asked eagerly.

"And who was my mother?" Luke echoed.

Kya looked between the two of them, and for the first time in the entire discussion amusement flitted across her face.

"Can you not guess?"

They both shook their heads.

"Then let me explain one more crucial piece of information: Senator Amidala and Jedi Skywalker were married a few days after the outbreak of the Clone Wars, and not too long before her death, she informed her husband that she was pregnant with twins, a girl and a boy. That was twenty-one years ago."

It took about three seconds before everything clicked. I knew at once, because Luke's jaw hit the floor again with enough force to make a dent while Leia's face turned so pale I could literally see the blood draining away.

_So . . . now they know._ I sighed. _Here comes the storm. . . Bye-bye, peace and quiet._


	35. Chapter 33

**_Chapter Thirty-Three_**

**3 ABY**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
Arms slipped around my waist, tugging me back from the edge of the Force back to the here and now, the present, the reality. I smiled, slouching backwards, yielding to gravity and resting against him as he pressed his lips against the top of my head.

It had been a day since we had finally revealed the nature of Luke and Leia's parentage, and since then, I had stayed cooped up in this room, meditating or sleeping or simply just being bored out of my mind – well, as bored as a disciplined Jedi can get, anyways. There were only so many katas one could do in such a small space over and over again and only so much meditation that could be done before frustration could not be filtered away even with the Force.

"Why are you hiding?" Ben murmured.

I sighed, closing my eyes. _Apparently, I've been shielding too._ It was the only way Ben _wouldn't_ know why.

"You saw Leia after we told her the truth, Ben. She needs time. They _both_ need time before they are ready to accept this is the truth, especially the bit about Vader."

"That is not a reason to hide."

"No," I agreed, turning and burying my face in his chest. "But it's the best I've got."

He sighed and stroked my hair. Then, in a thoughtful tone, he said, "They will not hate you for this revelation, you know. If there is anyone to hate, Leia will hate Vader, and as unhealthy as it is, even you know why she will. And it will be a while before she is ready for us to even attempt to dissuade her from that path. In fact, I'm thinking that might even be best left to Luke."

"I'm not worried that they will hate me."

"Indeed?"

Ben's tone was not sarcastic or ridiculing; he was genuinely curious and completely concerned for me. I found that extremely helpful.

I sighed again. "I . . . I'm confused," I admitted in a rush, and then it was like the dams had burst. Words spilled from me faster than thought, fast enough that I knew it would be a miracle if he could even slightly understand part of it.

"I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing right now. I'm just going off a basic instinct that I'm not even sure _is_ a basic instinct – for all I know, it might just be my pent-up frustration at not being able to solve my own universe's problems that I've decided to try and heal the Anakin here to attempt to make up for it. I can't tell. And that . . . well . . . I can't tell. Not even after meditation can I separate that. I don't know whether I'm walking blind because the Force is so dark or because I'm blinded by my affection."

One heartbeat.

Two heartbeats.

Three heartbeats.

Finally, Ben stirred. His fingers found my chin, tilting it upwards, and his eyes were warm and compassionate when they met mine.

"If you _are_ blind, Kya," he said gently, "it is not necessarily a fault of yours. You are a daughter of the Force; if an open heart is what helps to bind you to the living, I will not fault it.

"It is true, perhaps, that your . . . longing for the Anakin you first knew might be blinding you. But I doubt it. If it was blinding you, you would insist it was not even though he would torment you day and night. You, however, are able to acknowledge it, to question it, even to present it as a weakness to me. It is not something that is easy to do.

"Just because there is no guidance to tell you that you are doing well," he finished, "does not mean that you must be doing wrong."

For a long time, I stared at him. I sometimes forgot, now that it had been so long, that words had been my old Master's specialty – words that somehow managed to perfectly capture the essence of the issue at stake. It appeared that Ben, somehow and sometime when I wasn't looking, had gotten that ability too.

"What?" he asked uneasily.

I smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Nothing. But sometimes I forget that you are wiser than me in your own way."

He laughed, tugging me closer to him and kissing my forehead in return. "I have to be greater than you in _some_ ways, else I would go crazy," he teased. "If words are that, then so be it. I can live with that."

"You had better."

"Or else what, Oh Mighty Walker?"

"Or else I might find yet another reason to thrash you soundly in the next duel," I threatened.

He shrugged. "You do that anyways."

I opened my mouth to protest, to tease him some more, relishing the safety and comfort he gave me in how easily he had understand, acknowledged, and then eased my own discomfort. It had been almost unbelievably perfect, and even more so for the fact that he hadn't been using the Force to sense what was wrong and hadn't alleviated my discomfort using a Force-suggestion. He had done it the old-fashioned way, acting as my mate and husband, not my fellow Jedi.

The Force, I knew, had chosen well for me.

And I loved Ben all the more for it.

The door slid open suddenly, and it was all I could do not to jump. Fortunately, Ben shifted at the same time, his arms slipping away from me, his body suddenly a few inches rather than a few centimeters from my own, his face composed and curious. Our cover was preserved.

"Ben? Kya? Can I . . . I mean . . . Can I talk to you?"

Ben flicked his wrist, closing the door and moving a chair closer to the bed where we both sat. "Of course, Luke," he replied. "What is it? Is there a problem with the kata – "

"No, it's not that," Luke interrupted, surprising the both of us. "It's . . . well . . . I . . ."

I leaned forward. For one thing, it wasn't like Luke to interrupt us when we were dangling bait in the form of Jedi training in front of him. For another, it wasn't like him to have such trouble voicing his thoughts in front of us; in front of Leia or Alliance command, sure, but not us. Never us. It was either something extremely serious or Luke was exhausted.

_No exhaustion_, Ben countered. _I'm picking up on nothing. He just woke up, actually._

_So . . . something serious._

_No doubt._

Luke suddenly smirked. It was a sad smirk, almost wistful, as if he was finally getting his act together. "I used to think that you were just using the Force because it was normal for it always to be moving around you two," he said abruptly. "Now I know better." His blue eyes were suddenly as piercing as Master Yoda's. "You left out a lot about your story. You aren't just Jedi partners, are you?"

There was nothing, absolutely nothing, to give away anything in Ben's face.

Unless you knew him as well as I did.

His eyes shifted, darkening so briefly it could have been a flicker of lighting. His shields went sky-high, blocking out everything except me. And the Force whirled with agitation, settling into a storm that shielded us.

Luke flinched.

Surprise blossomed in me. _He sensed that?_

Ben didn't bother to hide the way he flashed a glance my way. _He is strong. Untrained, but instinctive. Like his father._

_Yes. . ._

"You are, aren't you?" Luke repeated. "In a relationship?"

Ben tilted his head. "And what do you define as a relationship? Dating? Kissing? Holding hands?"

That only seemed to incense Luke; he, apparently, took issue with finding that his teachers were breaking one of the most fundamental rules that another teacher had taught him.

"Jedi aren't allowed to – " he started hotly.

I decided it was high time that I interceded – before Luke lost control or Ben's instinct as my mate kicked in. "_Jedi_ aren't," I said firmly. "And if I was just a Jedi, I might adhere to that. Especially if I was just a Jedi from this universe, where _that_ Code ruled. But I don't. Therefore, I feel no guilt and I am doing no wrong."

For a full minute, Luke stared at me as though I had grown three heads. Or, worse, been revealed to be his mother.

"Then what are you?" he asked warily, his hand moving to rest on lightsaber hilt.

Ben raised a placating hand. "We are Jedi," he reassured the boy. "It is just that we are not _just_ Jedi, that is all. Now that you know about your parents, I guess Kya has decided there are other secrets as well that you ought to know."

"Like what?"

"What, the discovery – after all these years – of a father, a mother, and a twins sister does not faze you?" I prompted instead.

Luke hesitated, his wariness warring with his need to confide in us.

"I am . . . well . . . yes, it bothers me," he admitted in a rush. "I thought I knew who I was. Now I find that I'm definitely not that. And I have a sister to boot. And a father who's one of the most feared men in the Empire. And I have this . . . _job_ . . . this duty to do that everyone seems to think I can, but _I_ don't think I can. If you – and you're better Jedi than I ever will be – cannot defeat him, how in all the worlds can _I_ defeat him?"

"Luke," I said gently, "if might, if power, if prowess was enough to bring Vader down, then we would have destroyed him years ago. But it is more than that."

He looked at me, uncertain. "But I have to kill – "

"No!" I said sharply. "No one said you have to _kill_ him. _No one said that_. It is you who interprets it thusly."

For a moment, something shone from his pale blue eyes, and I could almost see his father in him – see Anakin Skywalker standing before me again as a impatient youth rushing impulsively into danger and driving the rest of us up the all. He was his father all over again, and yet . . . and yet Padmé had left her own distinct mark on him as well.

"There is good in him."

It was a statement, not a question, and Ben responded as such.

"Perhaps. If there is, though, it must be _you_ will bring it forth once again," he told him. "I know not whether it is possible – but then again, I am usually pessimistic about such issues. You would be better off consulting Kya."

Something clicked in Luke.

"So . . . is this . . . why you want to heal him?" Luke asked slowly.

I hesitated, and the nodded. "Yes, and no. I need to give him – Anakin or Vader or whatever he wishes to call himself – one last chance to prove himself. And if that chance is you, so be it. But if we are to face the Emperor, even the three of us together may not be enough. I'd rather have my brother at my side to – "

"Your brother?" Luke repeated in surprise. "Who is he? Is he a Jedi too? Can he help us?"

"Why, he is . . ."

I trailed off. As usual, I had demonstrated by Ben was by far the better storyteller. Every single time, I got distracted somehow and ended up in the middle of the story instead of in the beginning. It was a wonder, I had always thought, that Ben himself could even interpret what I meant sometimes. And no wonder it had taken so many months before Aurora truly understood the whole story that had brought Ben and I together and tied our fates so irreversibly.

Ben laughed, perhaps picking up on my thought. He covered my hand. "Perhaps it is best," he said, "if you get your sister, Luke. This story will take some time telling."

The Force suddenly flickered; a warning chime, soft, gentle, and persistent.

I pulled away from Ben. "No, don't bother."

Ben eyed me, startled, while Luke turned completely around from where he stood at the door, a quizzical expression on his face.

"Why not?"

"Because we are here," I said simply, "and the story will be told sooner or later. For now, I must concentrate on healing your father so that perhaps he can tell you his story himself and then I can tell you and Leia at the same time. Repeating my stories to three different audiences always gets rather tedious, especially to Ben, as he has heard them so many times already."


	36. Chapter 34

**_Chapter Thirty-Four_**

**3 ABY**

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
"Foolish, irresponsible, stubborn – "

"Kya."

" – idiotic, annoying, blasted – "

"_Kya._"

" – Sithspawn, cursed, kriffing – "

"_Kya!_"

Finally, I got her attention. She had spent the last ten minutes pacing and ranting, letting loose all the frustration she was feeling over her inability to convince the staff of Polis Massa to . . . well, to do whatever it was that she wanted to do to Vader to "heal him, remind him of the light, and help him overthrow the Emperor". She had said it was her final task, as two of the silver strands around her wrist were already gone.

But it was by far proving the most difficult one of all.

She collapsed on the pallet as though all the breath had been knocked out of her and buried her face in the blankets.

I sat beside her and sighed. _Things are certainly taking their toll._ I had seen, somewhat, the struggles Kya had faced the first time she had altered a galaxy's path. But I hadn't truly understood it. Now I did, and contrary to my belief, things were only harder to endure that I knew the reason.

After all, just because I knew the reason, I couldn't really intervene, which was galling beyond belief.

I rested a hand on her back and carefully tried to soothe her through the Force. It wasn't easy; Kya's irritations flickered and swirled and stampeded through her entire mind, overwhelming her through sheer numbers rather than sheer size. She simply had too much to deal with, too much information coming in, too much to pay attention to.

_Kya, _calm down_,_ I ordered.

_Easy for you to say._

I merely sighed. _Calm yourself, or I'll knock you out._

_You wouldn't dare._

_You want to try me?_

Her unwillingly silence spoke volumes. She was being petulant and stubborn now, but I indulged her – for now. Sooner or later, though, I'd need to give her a rather rude shake. She was a Walker, after all, and a Jedi to boot. Wallowing in self-pity was _not_ in the job description.

She sighed and shifted her face to look at me. _You're right. I am being childish, aren't I?_

I stroked her hair, grateful that the storm was beginning to fade away. _Everyone is at one time_, I reminded her.

"Are they _still_ refusing to perform the final surgery for Anakin?" she asked wearily.

"They have a point. It costs money, and the Empire is sure to be watching."

"We have the Force," she reminded me. "The Force can cut the time down significantly, and the cost too. It might help with his loss of midi-chlorians too."

"Hmm. I wish you luck persuading these droids of _that_."

We had reached Polis Massa on schedule, and it had taken very little persuasion to get the medical staff to clone new organs to replace the burned prosthetics Darth Vader had. We were Jedi, after all, and they remembered our service to the Republic and were glad to help the Rebellion. It had taken less than a couple days, thanks to some aid from the Force. Yet upon seeing Vader, they had balked at undergoing the final, key operation – the remove the suit and replace the old organs with the new organs.

Apparently, when Vader had come looking for clues about his wife's death, he had left some rather unpleasant memories behind – memories the staff refused to let go of, even some two decades afterwards.

She sat up. "How are Luke and Leia holding, now that I think of it? I know they're not pleased, but – "

I snorted. "Not pleased?" I repeated. "I only _wish_ I could describe it like that."

We had confided the true identity of Luke and Leia's parents and their relationship to one another but a few days ago, and Leia _still_ refused to talk to us. Luke talked to us, at least, but he was a great deal more cautious, as though we might dump yet another unexpected revelation on his head the next time he spent more than a few minutes in our company. It was miserable. Required, but miserable.

"I wish one day things would stay normal," Kya sighed. "And after that, I'll save storytelling for Council debriefings and Council debriefings _only_."

I laughed and leaned down to kiss her. "You can wish, my love, but I very much doubt things will turn out that way."

She merely curled closer.

There was a gentle knock at the door, and I turned just in time to see Leia stop dead in the doorway, surprise written all over her face, her brown eyes wide. She looked at once like her mother, conserving dignity even at the last possible moment, and her father, betraying his naivety in the real world after so long being sheltered and hidden from the truth.

"So it's true, then?" she asked lowly. "You _are_ married?"

I opened my mouth, searching for an excuse; and then Kya was beside me, hand resting lightly on my own in warning.

"For a few years now," Kya answered. _Let me handle this. She needs to have our trust, and we need to have hers. But trust cannot be founded on secrecy and concealing. She needs to know as much of truth as we can give her, little as it is._

"As you wish," I murmured quietly, settling back.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Leia demanded, crossing her arms. "To hold it over our heads? Or is it because you fear that we shall reveal you, as this is most definitely forbidden?"

Kya remained unmovable. "This is not forbidden," she enunciated carefully. "We are married legally, by the standards of the Republic . . . and the Jedi Order. And we are not the only ones, either. I should think, Princess Leia, that I should know the rules of the Jedi Order, and therefore what is forbidden and what is not, better than an outsider."

It was a subtle reminder, but Leia flinched all the same. I wasn't surprised; the two had been butting heads for some time already.

"As to why we did not tell you . . ." Kya spread her arms wide. "Would you have believed us?"

Leia hesitated, and then lowered her eyes. "No."

Kya slid off the bed and took a tentative step towards Leia, her expression hesitant. "Leia," she said softly, "we are not what you think we are. I am more than just a Jedi, as you are more than just a princess. For now, though, I need your trust in order to do what has to be done. I cannot give you anything but promises, I'm afraid – that, and friendship, and sympathy, and advise. I do not wish to take your place among the Alliance; I merely wish to help you lay the foundation for a new Republic . . . when the time is right."

Leia looked up sharply.

And then, quite suddenly, she smiled.

"I know. Somehow . . . I think I've always known," she replied. "You were never just a Jedi to anyone but Luke, I think."

Kya's smile widened. "Thank you," she murmured.

"One thing, Leia," I said as the princess turned to leave. I stood and slid off the bed, approaching steadily, my suspicions being confirmed with each step. "You didn't just come here to confront us on being married, did you?"

~ _Darth Vader_ ~  
Warmth was the first thing I felt. It felt oddly . . . liberating, in the strangest way. I felt light, free, relaxed. I hadn't felt heat, so close and gentle on my skin, since . . . since long ago, since my last encounter on –

_No._ I clenched my jaw against the memories. _No. I will _not_ think of that._

Old Kenobi was dead. There was no need.

Then my brain started catching up to my actions. I was feeling heat on my skin. I had clenched my jaw. I was _breathing_, really, truly breathing – and yet there was no harsh sound of a respirator, pumping away, grinding raw nerves, painfully continuing my pitiful existence. There was – There was – _There was_ –

My eyes flashed open.

And squinted as the glare of white lights bore down in my eyes for the first time in nearly twenty years.

_Impossible. . ._

I was free. I was free. I was _free_ of that blasted suit!

And the Force – _the Force_ . . .

It was there, strong and comforting and all-encompassing, as it hadn't been since my fateful duel on –

_No. Lock it down._

I closed my eyes again, grateful as they watered from the harsh lights. I would take that pain a thousand times over if it meant I could truly _see_ again, as well as breathe, and hear, and _live_. And took the time to store those memories in the darkest, deepest part of me that I could dredge up, sealed behind the strongest barriers I could use, shut away forever. The pain helped; a little pain, and a roiling wave of fury rose up in me – _he_ was to blame for this – and the dark side of the Force responded, filling me with strength.

I was free.

"Is he all right?"

"Is something wrong?"

Voices babbled around me – distracting, annoying, confusing, like a pack of conquered tribes being ordered into their proper places. I longed to lash out, to choke them, to scream _I am Darth Vader, and you _will_ obey me and _be silent_ for a moment of peace!_

Then the Force swirled in power, and a new figure entered, a calm beam of steady light, a shield against the dark, a beacon in the chaos.

And I gritted my teeth.

_Jedi._

"He'll be fine," the Jedi said, his voice somehow not as annoying as the others. "He's probably just a little disoriented. Calm yourself, Luke; and Leia, do look a little less like you're going to strange him, shall you?"

"I got them to do this, didn't I?" a female voice protested.

"And you look like you are regretting every breath you ever took in that endeavor," the Jedi pointed out dryly.

"He didn't deserve any of it," she muttered.

Then the other voice spoke, a young boy's voice, but it did not bother me. No, what bothered me was the Jedi. He sounded so . . .

Familiar.

And then it clicked – the horrifying truth . . . so horrifying it could only be true –

My eyes opened slowly this time, for I was half afraid that I was right, and half eager that I was. . .

And the first thing that met my eyes was a middle-aged man, turning to meet me as though he'd sensed my return to consciousness, copper hair cut shorter than I remembered, blue-green eyes startled and wary, one hand straying to a very familiar lightsaber hilt at his hip –

"I killed you! You're dead!"

With a roar, I heaved myself at Kenobi, determined to strangle him or bash his head in or _do something_ – because either I was going mad or I was dead and this was all an illusion or a hallucination, or it wasn't and then everything had to be his fault like it always was yet this time he was definitely going to pay his dues and I would extract them with all the glee I could muster and –

And time _froze_.

Kenobi moved warily back, one arm sweeping upwards to push away two young people staring at me, one in curiosity, one in horror.

Despite myself, my eyes widened. _Luke? And . . . Organa? What . . ._

I struggled furiously against whatever held me back – but for no good. The Force hold on me was just too strong, and it encased _everything_; I could not break free no matter what, and it galled me to no end. I was _so . . . close_ . . .

A woman, brown-haired and blue-eyed, stepped to between Kenobi and me, hands outstretched.

"Sit down, my brother, and listen before you judge," she ordered.


	37. Chapter 35

**_Chapter Thirty-Five_**

**3 ABY**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
Anakin looked . . . amazing. There wasn't words enough to describe him – or the magic the med staff had conjured in restoring him to a body that, while not having the youth and vigor and health of the age of twenty-two (which was when he had fallen into the lava rivers of Mustafar and been scared forevermore), was at least not the aged and burnt and injured body of around forty that he had been.

No, he was somewhere in between, and almost as normal looking as though he'd never heard of Darth Vader, much less _been_ him.

Almost.

That tell-tale yellow tint in his eyes swept away almost all doubt about two things – one, that he had touched the dark side and it had . . . changed him, in more ways than one; and two, that he still held a massive grudge against Obi-Wan Kenobi, even though he had already killed the one of this universe.

_Not the best way to start off, is it?_ Ben asked.

_Give him some time, Ben. . . How would you feel if you were him?_

_Let's try _not_ about to attack the people who've just saved your butt _and_ restored you a real body?_ Ben suggested.

I sighed. _And _you're_ supposed to be the diplomat._

You_ be the diplomat when a Sith Lord charges you and tries to strangle you all because you _look_ like someone who he hates the guts of_, Ben demanded, _and then I'll follow your example. How about that?_

Luke cleared his throat. "As interesting as your conversation must be, Ben, Kya," he said pointedly, "how about we . . . um . . . well . . . get this moving along?"

Ben sighed. "Of course."

I flicked my wrist and sent Anakin careening backwards until his knees hit the bed and he fell back. It did get tiring to engage a Force-hold so completely over someone for long periods of time, and I had no desire to let my control slip and allow my gift to begin draining the energy of those present, because my gift was more dangerous than most.

After all, usually after I stopped, it was almost impossible to finish. It was like an addiction – wild, amazing, glorious – that, in time, destroyed everything I held dear.

Like all addictions.

No, I must _not_ lose control. Not here. Especially with my brother here. . .

Anakin's face was still suffused with rage as he struggled to sit back up. "How dare you?" he roared. "How dare you mock me? Obi-Wan Kenobi is _dead_! I _killed_ him! _I_ killed him! How _dare_ you mock a Dark Lord of the Sith this – "

"How dare I, brother?"

I gazed at him, crossing my arms, outwardly maintaining a calm aura. Inwardly, though, I was just beginning to realize how much more grumpy the older Anakin was than the younger – and therefore, how much more difficult it would be to win his trust and turn him away from the alluring embrace of the dark side.

"How dare I, brother?" I repeated softly. I pulled a chair and sat down. "I dare, Anakin Skywalker, because I have that right."

To his credit, he didn't even flinch when I said his name.

He just got angrier.

"That man is dead," he said coldly. "I am Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, and you will address me as such."

"Or else what?" I taunted. "You'll make a fist and try to choke me to death as you have the others? Really, Anakin, I would have thought that over this time you would have found much better taunts to throw at your sister."

"You are no sister of mine!"

"Indeed," I said dryly. "Yes, I'm claiming to be the sister of the greatest traitor in the entire galaxy for fun."

Silence reigned.

For once, it seemed, my words had made their sting known to Anakin. Finally, he turned his gaze away from Ben long enough to send me a puzzled look, as if his rage over Ben had blinded him to the fact that he was healed, out of his suit, and facing someone who claimed to be his sister – all of which I would probably consider more important issues.

But then again, Anakin had never really dealt well with death. Especially of people he was close to. Or once was, anyways. And Ben was counted among that select group.

"Who _are_ you?" he asked warily.

Ben stepped towards me, a silent show of support. I leaned against him, knowing the explosion was coming and wishing it wouldn't, and hoped that my subtle show of trust would keep him from doing something foolish.

"My name is Kya Ranor. I am a daughter of the Force, just as you are a son of the Force," I said quietly. "They called you the Chosen One, did they not? A miracle birth, considering that Shmi Skywalker had known no man and was blessed with a son whose Force-sensitivity was far beyond what she could have ever born naturally. A child of mortals . . . and of the Force. That connection is what makes you – and me – children of the Force, and therefore brother and sister . . . even though most Walkers would turn away in disgust, not recognition, for what you have done."

"Impossible."

Anakin's face was ice cold stone, frozen and set in the ways of twenty years past.

I sighed. _This is going to be harder than I thought._ "And yet here you stand before me, free of that suit, and you call _me_ impossible?" I pointed out.

Anakin hesitated, his gaze slipping to land on his son and, unknown to him, his daughter. Luke was torn before hope and resignation; Leia, between wariness and outright hatred. The Force hissed around him, like tendrils tentatively testing the mood of his captors – and, though he didn't know it, saviors.

I reached out and blocked the search entirely.

Anakin stiffened.

To him, it would seem like his search would bump up an impenetrable wall, reading us as emptiness, like we didn't exist.

Short of stabbing myself in the heart and coming back as a Force ghost, it was impossible to do – for a normal person. No, no, not even that. Force ghosts did leave ripples in the Force, and, if you knew how to read it right, even Force-signatures.

_Perhaps that might coax him to start realizing things are far larger than he thought._

_Maybe._ Ben shifted, reaching out to touch my shoulder. Energy flowed to me, easing the burden and ensuring that the shield did not break before Anakin.

The only problem was that Anakin, being Anakin, noticed.

His eyes narrowed, and I could almost _hear_ the plots forming in his mind. He could sense _us_, but he could see, from our demonstrations, the affection between us. I had stopped Anakin from killing Ben, risking my own life. And now Ben was lending energy to me, an exchange viewed as highly personal – and therefore, highly intimate.

Unfortunately, Ben noticed first.

Ben stepped immediately to shield me, his face suffusing with anger. "Have you learned nothing?" he demanded harshly. "We are trying to _help_ you – and yet you can think of is how to destroy us."

Anakin snorted. "You aren't even real Jedi," he said dismissively.

"And why not?"

As I spoke, I endeavored to sound as calm as possible before Ben and Anakin tried to attack each other. I also stepped forward to stand beside Ben, so we stood as equals, one united front that he would have a very hard time breaking apart. Ben would die before he allowed Anakin to hurt me; and Anakin would get some of the fury he deserved if he hurt Ben. Walkers weren't as picky as Jedi about handing out a little punishment from wrong deeds here and there.

"If there is anyone who is _not_ a real Jedi," Ben stated, "it is you, Vader, not us."

Anakin sneered at us – and then blinked in surprise, ruining the effect completely, before remembering that he _could_ sneer now and shifting instead to a scowl.

"The Jedi were weak and pitiful," Anakin said dismissively. "They destroyed themselves because they _had_ to be destroyed. Now the Empire rules, and there is peace and justice and security – exactly what the Jedi _claimed_ they could bring, but never could. There is no life for the Jedi Order anymore; they are dead, and they will remain dead – and now, you will join them!"

Before I had enough time to hear his words, much less register them, Anakin leaped for us, hands reaching out, the Force making time slow down –

And then Ben was there, knocking me aside to the floor.

Anakin crashed into him, and then they were fighting, Anakin with a savage no-holds barred style that left Ben fighting frantically to keep him off without hurting him too seriously. Luke leaped forward to aid Ben, his face full of surprise and fear, while Leia dove for the sedative on the tray on the side and the blaster right beside it –

I simply reached out, and grabbed hold of Anakin's arm, and drained him almost completely of energy.

Anakin staggered, unable to sustain the tight chokehold he had on Ben.

Ben pushed him away and then pulled me away too, spinning us so that he was a physical barrier between Anakin and me again. I could feel his worry, almost suffocating in its entirety. After he had just been attacked and hit and choked, he was still worried about me.

Sometimes, his selflessness really was irritating.

"Kya?"

Luke was sitting at his father's side, worry and almost anger on his face. "What did you do to him?" he demanded.

I sighed. "I am sorry, Luke. He just . . ."

_Kya. . ._ Ben said warningly, barely consenting to release me.

I placed my hand on his chest. _Let me go, Ben. I'll be fine. But I have to rouse Anakin. Perhaps now he will be in a mood to listen for once before he acts. Otherwise, we will not make any headway in this._

He frowned in disapproval, but he let me go.

Luke and I heaved Anakin back onto the bed, and then I passed as much energy back into Anakin as I dared. Enough for him to awake, certainly, and stay awake to listen – but hopefully not enough to allow him to rise and attack us once more. We wouldn't get anywhere if Anakin was constantly fighting us instead of listening to us.

Sure enough, just as I lifted my hand, Anakin groaned, and his eyes fluttered open once more.

"What – What did you – do to me?" he snarled.

"You were getting yourself into trouble," I said shortly, retreating back to Ben's side so that he, at least, could relax somewhat. "Had you actually hurt Ben, my gift would have activated on its own and quite possibly have killed you. Walkers do not tolerate such actions against their mates, Anakin; you should know that quite well."

"A what?"

_Ah. Curiosity. Wariness, yes, but not enough to attack._ I looked to Ben. _Please relax; you're making me nervous._

Ben sent the equivalent of a mental snort. _I will never relax when that murderer is around you._

I sighed. Toleration was going to take a long time. Cooperation would take even longer. And in my mind, friendship or even plain comradeship was out of the question. _But ah well. I shall take the hand I was dealt, and see what can be done._

"Are you willing to listen now, Anakin?"

He studied me for a long time – and this time, without any hint of hatred or anger. Simply studying me.

Finally, he said, "Yes."


	38. Chapter 36

**_Chapter Thirty-Six_**

**3 ABY**

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
Perhaps it was the fact that Ben had his hand on his lightsaber still, or that Vader had lunged at Ben with the intention to kill him with his own hands now that he could, or even that with my untrained senses I could sense the tension in the room so easily it was if it was screaming in my ear, but for once, I felt fully and completely vilified.

I had warned Kya against the wisdom of letting Vader out. She had refused to listen.

Now she knew why.

I could see that Ben was starting to grasp my implications, though, and that was good. He seemed to have an influence over her that made her stop and listen and actually _consider_ a point of view besides her own.

Privately, I thought it was due to the fact that there was a connection between them deeper even, if that was possible, than that between normal lovers.

There was just . . . _something_ . . .

I couldn't describe it in words. Not now, and perhaps not ever. But my instincts, my mind, my _heart_ – they all told me the same thing. Kya was not just a regular Jedi. Ben was not just a regular Jedi mission partner for Kya. And the connection between them was not regular either, for it was like comparing a reclumi web to a normal spider web for all intents and purposes. Ben and Kya were . . . _bound_ together, almost, if my instincts were true – and even though I did not know how or why, I trusted my instincts.

Publicly, though, I had to acknowledge that it might be simply that Kya and I were just too similar, and therefore likely to not listen to each other. We were just too alike – in the way we thought, the way we acted, sometimes even in the way we spoke.

Ben, though . . .

He was more like Luke. Dangerous in his own way when provoked, and impulsive sometimes, but at the same time a thousand times more patient, and more readily a negotiator than a fighter.

That being said, he probably had much better chances at convincing Kya, for he was the calming water to her fire, the steady earth to her whirlwind, the gentle compassion to her power. He was her opposite in many ways, and between the two of them, he would guide her to a middle path. I, on the other hand, would probably just drive us both into the brambles on the side.

Most important of all, though, was that Kya saw him as an equal.

She did not see me so yet.

_Another obstacle between us_, I acknowledged ruefully. I was young, true, but sometimes I hated my youth when it caused others to underestimate me. Kya didn't underestimate me, but nor did she appreciate exactly what I could do.

I didn't like that. Not one bit. I had fought to be part of Alliance command – if needed, I would claw my way to equal grounding with Kya.

If needed.

For now, though, I was content to listen to the promised story. So far, it was rather interesting.

"So – where should we start?" Kya asked, her gaze flickering away from Vader to rest on Ben for the first time in the whole encounter. "From the very beginning?"

Ben shrugged, leaning against the wall. To my secret relief, he still kept one eye on Vader; obviously, he did not trust Vader with Kya's back turned to him. Yet he was shielded well, for I could not even glimpse one tell of his true feelings.

"If you wish. But I would not go in exact order; you'll only confuse them."

Kya glared. "I'm not _that_ bad. . ."

"Yes, you are," I chimed in, sinking into the chair farthest from Vader. "My head still hurts from even that one little tidbit you told me earlier."

"It is?" Kya sighed in defeat. "All right, then; you'll have to help me," she added.

Ben's eyes darkened, but other than that he did nothing.

"What is going on?" Vader demanded grumpily, sounding for all the galaxy like a spoiled child learning that he had to complete his homework and do his chores. It almost made me laugh; Vader looked so much less threatening now that he was out of his suit, and for some reason he made me feel like the adult guiding the immature child.

Kya turned back to Vader, one eyebrow raised. "What, can you sense nothing?"

Vader's jaw clenched angrily.

"I wouldn't," Ben said warningly, stepping to Kya's side and slipping an arm around her waist. "Don't even _think_ of it – not if you don't want to find yourself back in the bacta tank."

Vader's eyes narrowed while Luke and I stared at Ben in astonishment. There was a cold, ominous, matter-of-fact efficiency in his voice, as if he was willing to shelve his Jedi values if Kya was in danger from Vader. I could truly believe that he could take up his blade against Vader, without any regret or hesitation.

And for the first time, I had a reason to fear Ben's power as I respected Kya's.

And, considering that I was only getting a fraction of whatever Ben was projecting, it was all the scarier, actually.

~ _Darth Vader_ ~  
For a moment, I stared at Kenobi, slightly confused.

No Jedi spoke to anyone like that; even when Windu had struck down the Emperor, he had kept it short and to the point, not threatening, but calmly stating, as Jedi were wont to do. And yet . . . And yet this . . . _Jedi_ was actually trying to _threaten_ me – as if he possibly could do much harm to me!

But I noted the way his arm rested around her waist, and how she instinctively curved to him, and how it seemed natural . . .

It took only a whisper-touch of the Force to confirm what I thought.

_Lovers._

And, even better, they were bound together, heart and mind and soul, for I could feel the bond thrumming in the Force.

_A bond. The last time I felt a bond that strong_ –

_NO._

I shut the memory down, locked it far, far away. I would _not_ think of . . . think of _Her_. She was gone. She was long-dead. She no longer existed.

Even, and especially, in my memory.

So instead I laughed, cold and cruel, relishing in my newfound power of the two Jedi. Like all Jedi, they only saw how strong they were, not how _weak_ the bond made them. I had learned that firsthand, thanks to _Her_, and it would be delightful to make them taste the bitterness I had, as Kenobi had been the reason the first time.

"So," I said, "you seek asylum from the Empire. And I suppose I might grant it, except – "

"We do not seek any asylum from _you_," Kenobi snarled.

Once again, I was taken aback. I had never remembered such callous cruelty from Kenobi when he spoke. His blade had severed my limbs, his duel had reduced my body to ash, his Force-suggestions had torn my love from me – but still, whenever he had spoken, he had been some of the soft-spoken Master I remembered. His cruelty had been done in deeds, not in threats and words.

But then, even as I watched, the woman who called herself my sister turned slightly to Kenobi, her lips moving soundlessly and swiftly, so even with the Force I was clueless to what she said.

But Kenobi seemed to understand, for he opened his mouth to protest before deciding it against it and acquiescing with a gentle kiss to her forehead. She smiled slightly and murmured something else, and that coaxed a reluctant smile from him.

I watched with storm of emotions – hatred, anger, confusion, _envy_ – and then hated them all the more for bringing up the storm within me.

"Well, where to begin?"

The woman's voice was bright and cheery, as if she was discussing where to go on vacation instead of trying to prevent us all from hacking at each other with lightsabers. It was irritating. And yet it reminded me of something else too . . . not _Her_ . . . someone else . . .

I shelved the issue. I could deal with it later. Now, though, I would have to gather as much information as I could, so when I struck, they would not rise again.

"Who are you?" I repeated.

The woman's eyes flashed at me – not angrily, not happily . . . just . . . did. They were the bluest eyes I'd ever seen, yet something lurked in them, something dangerous and cunning and potent.

And then I realized – _She has touched the dark side too, and felt its call._

Yet she still wore the robes of a Jedi, and I could sense nothing of the dark side in her. She had resisted, then.

"My name is Kya," she said, "daughter of the Force."

After a start of surprise, I scoffed. "That's impossible. _I_ am the Chosen One," I reminded her. "I am _the_ son of the Force. You are just a deluded Jedi."

She laughed, softly, and chills raced up my spine. I knew her. And yet I did not. But she _was_ familiar – so familiar I wondered why my mind could not recognize her, or her name, or even her Force-signature. I scanned my memories, all of them, and there was not even a wisp of someone named Kya. And yet still, the familiarity remained.

"You sense it, don't you?" she asked. "The connection between us. You know me not, and I barely know you – but we _are_ sister and brother, whether you like it or not. And, since you have not the presence of mind to realize it, Ben is _not_ Obi-Wan Kenobi."

_What?_

That was impossible. Obi-Wan had had no relations – unless they had cloned him?

"No, he is no clone," Kya interrupted before I could ask. "Ben is his brother . . . and he is my husband. And – no, _listen_, my brother, _listen_ for once instead of judging – and if you consent to listen, I shall tell you the true story behind all of us."

She paused, and for some reason I felt compelled to say, "Tell me. _Now_."

Kya sighed.

"If you wish it so, brother, then I will do so. But," and her eyes gleamed again with a power that for once truly and completely that scared me as even the Emperor was not able to do, "but you _will_ listen to me, even if the truth is not something you wish to hear. If not, then this whole endeavor is pointless, and a waste of time that I will not undertake."

I was about to reply hotly when a moment caught the corner of his eye.

I had forgotten about Luke and Organa.

But they were here all the same, and my son looked as eager for the story as he ever could. Even Organa looked slightly curious, although her curiousness was tempered by wariness of me and possibly even of Kya – which I didn't understand.

_Are they not all allies? Members of the Rebel Alliance, trying to throw down the Empire – as if they could!_

"We _will_ cast down the Empire," Kya said quietly, her voice as solid and sharp as a vibroblade. "Of course, my brother, it will be far easier with your help. But before we go down that storyline, do you wish to hear my own? For it has much connection to you, and if you do not know anything, we might as well give up this endeavor before it is begun."

On one hand, asking her for the information would be surrendering to her authority over me – and publicly, too, for Organa was here, she who had defied me and my Master so many times.

On the other hand, I did want to know, and the Force told me quite clearly that there would be no way of extracting the information from Kya by force – at least, no way if I wanted to stay conscious or keep her alive long enough to tell me.

So, finally, I found myself with really no choice.

_Which was her intent all along._

"Tell me. . . . Please."


	39. Chapter 37

A/N: Here's just some teasers for the ending of the story as we build our way towards what happens to Anakin/Darth Vader.

* * *

**_Chapter Thirty-Seven_**

**3 ABY**

~ _Darth Sidious_ ~  
Something was wrong. Not very wrong, just mildly worth noting. I could sense it more easily than I had ever sensed anything, which was saying something, as usually my apprentice burned like a beacon – or had, once. But now that presence was blurred and obscured, just like the presence of the Skywalker boy that had appeared not long ago.

I hadn't tried to contact him yet.

Why bother, after all? I had told him once before that even in his terribly weakened state – my good fortune – no Jedi were left to challenge him. And it was true.

Even Kenobi – old, weak, dying Kenobi – had posed almost no threat.

He was dead, anyways. No more problems from him. He could train the Skywalker boy no longer, and I knew all too well how half-trained Jedi were the easiest to snare. And with power like his. . .

He would seek answers, as his father had. And I would give them.

And then I would have a new apprentice or perhaps keep the old one – either way, I would get the benefit of seeing a real lightsaber duel for once, and how delicious for it to be between a father and his son, fighting over the right to stand at my side and learn from me. How _delicious_.

No, no sense in trying to contact my apprentice. He would surface in time. And if not, I could always seek the boy myself.

I was sure that somehow my apprentice was crippling himself in terms of catching the boy – his son, and Padmé's – for even in his weak state he should be more than enough to overcome a half-trained teenager. Yet he hadn't. So either the boy was more powerful than I thought, in which case it would be no trouble luring him to my side, or he was simply very lucky, in which case it would only be a matter of time before he stood before me.

I wasn't anxious to know which it was. One way or another, he would be mine – or dead.

And if he was dead . . .

_Then he would be weak, and not deserving of the title Sith Lord._

I smiled. It was the old Sith mantra.

And as tempting as it was to deviate from tradition and take for myself two talented apprentices, I would follow it.

_Ah, Vader, did you think I knew not of your plan to overthrow me?_ I smirked. That could be one reason for Vader's delay in capturing the boy at Bespin. _But, oh, how it shall fail. For I know of it, and knowledge is everything. . . I shall delight in using the boy to overthrow _you_ should he prove worthy. The father raising the blade against his son! Or the son raising his blade against the father!_

Already I could imagine the entertainment it would be.

I sank back into my throne and prepared to sink into meditation. It would not do, now, to lose my focus. The meddlesome Rebels were weak yet troublesome, and every scrap of cunning I had in me would be needed to orchestrate this trap to end them. The Force would guide me there.

The boy would be mine sooner or later.

And the Rebel Alliance would be ended. All it would need was one single lapse in security. . .

A brilliant light filled the room. And then a voice, as bright as the sun and as haunting as a supernova, rang out from the center of the brilliance.

"Hello, Emperor Palpatine. Or should I call you Darth Sidious?"


	40. Interlude

A/N: I decided that it would be rather poor taste for me to continue all the way through Kya's story again chapter-wise, as already I'm kinda stretching the boring talk chapters, so I'm going to consolidate it all into an Interlude with entries from Kya's POV. The years preceding the entry will dictate when it's taking place in the timeline.

* * *

**_Interlude_**

[Excerpts from the journal of Jedi Knight Kya Ranor]

**3 ABY**

**Entry:**  
Darth Vader – or Anakin, as he hopefully will soon be known, one day – did not speak after the conclusion of my story. He merely stared at me, not saying anything, not moving, and in general still trying to process it.

It was a start, at least.

Before, he would have called me a liar and tried to either kill or incapacitate me, which would have led to a rather ugly struggle between Ben and him. I have little doubt that Ben would win, but it would be a rather undesirable battle all the same. We cannot win Anakin to our side by fighting him; indeed, that would simply make him ever less trusting of us.

Now, at least, he is showing that he is willing to listen. For a while anyways.

I've no doubt we'll be arguing nonstop for a while about the veracity of everything, even though I am sure that the Force is doing its best to make him see sense. I _know_ that he can feel the connection that exists between sons and daughters of the Force; the question now becomes what will it take to make him accept that connection, and acknowledge what must be done, and then to actually carry out the deed.

Ben does not think it will be so easy. He distrusts Anakin, which I understand. It is natural for him to feel that Anakin is a threat to me, and even more natural for him to want to defend me. Not to mention that in every universe Kenobi and Skywalker have ever been at odds.

But for this to work, I fear they have to learn to work together.

Luke and Leia, at least, know who they are and from who they came. So that deed is finished. All that remains now of my tasks is to guide Anakin into fulfilling his destiny.

I have no doubt that that will be even more difficult than turning Anakin back to the light.

**Entry:**  
We've begun teaching Luke how to duel properly. Leia disapproves, but so far I see no harm; she is good with a blaster and it is her choice whether to follow in her mother's or father's footsteps. And besides, I would soon tire of trying to convince her otherwise.

Luke does well at dueling. Somewhat. His grasp on the Force is, strangely enough, in the Unifying, not the Living. That makes it harder for him to let go and truly _feel_ the Force and let it guide him to counter us. Ben goes easy on him because of that, at least, but in everything else he seems determined to give Luke the education he could have gotten had he been born perhaps thirty or forty years older.

I had restricted myself to the gentler aspects of being a Jedi, like meditation and the Force. My own gift with the Force, thanks to my being a Walker, gives me an unfair advantage. I have always known that without my gift, I would not have been able to stand as I did against people like General Grievous or Darth Sidious or even Master Windu.

Or perhaps even Luke.

Leia, however, progresses much more slowly. I haven't the faintest idea why she struggles so much more than Luke with everything from moving objects to sensing movement. They shared the same parents, the same birth, the same conception.

Ben has suggested that the Force favored Luke over Leia, but that I don't understand why. They are practically identical twins.

Unless . . .

**Entry:**  
Ben's suspicions have been confirmed. Leia, for some strange reason, has a far lower midi-chlorian count than her brother. It's certainly high enough to have made her better than the average Jedi during the days of the Republic, as she is stronger than Masters like Mace Windu and Ben, but much lower than her brother and father - she's even lower than Yoda.

I do not like it.

To confront Darth Sidious, we shall need to bring Leia with us. I fear for her safety. Leia is part of the conflict; she can rightfully be attacked and harmed by the laws of the Walkers due to her connection to Anakin.

And yet she is given little in the way of defense.

In the netherworld of the Force, she will have nothing. No weapons are allowed lest the combatants allow it, and blaster bolts are all too easy to deflect. She has no lightsaber either. And she will be stripped of the Force as well. In short, she has nothing to rely on but her tongue and her wit, and these will serve her very little if she is confronted by someone like a Sith apprentice or something worse.

Utterly ridiculous.

But there is honestly very little I can do.

I could, I suppose, form a bond between us; that would boost her count. But after the bond was broken, she would suffer, and her count would return to the natural state.

Or I could . . .

No. There is nothing. I have racked my brains, and Ben's, and still nothing.

With this conclusion, I have come to the realization that it is upon Leia whom I must concentrate my efforts. Luke picks up things as easy as breathing; he will be fine, for the most part. But Leia . . . she will need my help, and in time, I shall need hers. I don't know how much I will need it yet. But I'd rather that I give her everything I can give then to find her short when she or I need it most.

So I suppose I must concentrate on helping Leia with the beginnings of Jedi training. It is made all the harder, I think, that it has been so suppressed and she has been slow to acknowledge it. She has always believed that Luke is her better, and that he possesses powers she never will.

She is wrong, of course.

But it is the belief that causes the damage. Because she does not believe, it makes her harder for her to actually do what we ask of her.

It's so ironic. Before, I hated politicians because they were so full of themselves. Now I'm faced with one so _not_ full of herself that she has trouble with her self-esteem.

I'm still not sure which I prefer, though.

Anakin has done little over these past days except eat, pace, and reach out to the Force. He can do so, if he wishes; I would not have stopped him from accessing the Force anymore than I would have bound, gagged, and blinded him. But he is prevented from reaching the Emperor. He is limited to sensing the four of us, and Ben and I are well-protected against any Force-suggestions. Luke, in his sincerity for his father's turning, is also protected. And Leia, I think, is too strong-willed for anything to work on her.

In short, Anakin _must_ face us. For now, I give him time alone – time to reconcile himself to what he has done, what he has heard, and what he knows we will ask of him.

But time is running out.

We still must free Captain Solo, and soon, before the effects of the carbonite are too far gone to be reversed. And Luke must undertake the beginning of his Trials soon, or he will never take them. And, of course, Darth Sidious and his new Death Star must be dealt with.

Ah, well.

All in due time, I suppose.

Or never at all.

**Entry:**  
Luke has selected Djem So as his primary style of combat. It suits him, for he does have the power and the emotion to pull off such an aggressive style. But he is also firmly in control; he controls Djem So, and it does not control him. And in any case, he cannot help but absorb some of Ben's Ataru and Soresu as well. He will be a good Jedi Master one day, and a fine one to lead a new Order.

If he survives Ben's tutelage in Soresu.

I have started training Leia in the use of other weapons that are . . . subtler than a blaster. True, a blaster is longer distance weapon and more likely to end the life of stormtrooper than a vibroblade, but which weapon, I argue, is more easily detected if one is taken prisoner? A vibroblade is a lot easier to conceal.

Leia does not like learning from me. We are very much at odds because we are so similar. She does not really wish to learn weaponry. She is a diplomat, she claims, and thus negotiation must come always before fighting.

So very much like her mother.

And thus we are forced to come to a compromise, thanks to Ben's nosiness. He will instruct her more in the past of the Republic and the diplomatic tricks a Jedi might use, and in turn she shall consent to continue her education in the matter of fighting. Her hand-to-hand combat, her shooting, her fighting in general – all very good . . . for a normal person. Now she must learn to use the Force as well to guide her.

I will teach her that.

If she lets me.

**Entry:**  
Luke has let slip that he has been visiting and speaking to his father for the past few days. That surprises me, in a way, for Anakin has not spoken to any of us in a few weeks. He pretends to be asleep or in meditation, for he knows that Ben and I will not break the rules of etiquette.

And then again . . .

Perhaps it does not surprise me as much.

In my home universe, it was more Luke's work than my own that Vader was turned back to the light. He tortured me, and witnessed the Emperor torturing me, without even the slightest of regret.

And yet, when he was faced with seeing his son so degraded and wounded, he acted.

Perhaps this is what Lady Elizabeth wants.

For me to realize that it is the path of the Walker not to alter things directly on her or his own, but to guide others on the path of their destiny, whatever it may be.

I am not all-powerful, all-knowing, or anything else. I am really just an abnormally gifted Force-sensitive. And Luke is just a boy, and Vader just a Sith Lord – and yet their destiny, and what they can do, is perhaps greater than anything I will ever do. Maybe I can help rewrite the Force, rewrite destiny, rewrite faith – but ever the power of things beyond my manipulations will be greater.

Perhaps this is what I was meant to learn.

But if it is, I fear I still have much to learn of it.

In any case, all Luke can say is that he has been asking his father for stories – stories of Anakin's past on Tatooine, stories of his grandmother, stories of his mother, stories of this universe's Obi-Wan Kenobi. Any story that Anakin can tell, Luke asks for.

Maybe that is the best cure for Anakin. He needs to realize that he did wrong, yes, but he also needs to realize that he and we can forgive, and there are ways for him to begin his redemption.

Telling stories may be the path to that realization.

**Entry:**  
Hmm.

Anakin isn't the only one telling stories now. Luke has begun to demand stories of us as well, stories of our own past. Now that he and Leia know of my marriage to Ben, there is really no reason to conceal our past. Ben has indulged him, I think, mainly because he is beginning to be bored. Anakin has proved no threat – indeed, we have not spoken at all – and you can only duel and train Luke for so long.

I have sympathy for Ben, but then again, we are all bored. Even Leia is beginning to display a short temper.

It is time, I guess, to see how receptive Anakin is to helping us.

**Entry:**  
Um.

Well.

That meeting was certainly . . . unexpected.

Not only has Anakin . . .

Let me start from the beginning. I'm still startled at the way things turned out, but I guess if I don't get a recording now, when it's fresh, I shall never remember. And to do that properly, I will start at the proper beginning, which would be when Ben and I went to see him after we finished our morning fight on the mats.

Anakin, for one, wasn't pretending to sleep or meditate when I arrived. Surprise #1.

Surprise #2. He actually stood at my arrival and greeted me the old way, as a Knight would a Master.

Surprise #3. Luke was there, and Leia, and neither looked hostile or forced. Leia actually looked . . . normal. Not particularly overjoyed, but not disgusted or hate-filled as she usually was where Anakin is concerned.

I suppose that should have clued me in that there were more surprises to come.

Anakin had spoken first. He told us that Luke and Leia had been telling him about how bad the conditions were for people suffering on the Empire, and, even more, about what Ben had been telling Luke about us and our past. Which is probably why Luke has been pestering us for stories, but nonetheless, it helped.

Surprise # . . . 6? 8?

I had probably stopped feeling surprise by then, whatever number of surprises we were on.

But in any case, Anakin had _apologized_.

To me.

To Ben.

To Leia.

To Luke.

To . . . everyone.

He had actually, sincerely apologized – and he had meant it with heart and soul.

And now, he says, he is ready to begin atoning for what he has done by helping us, and the Rebel Alliance, defeat Darth Sidious, bring down the Empire, and begin rebuilding a New Republic to right the wrongs and harm that he has helped bring about.

Amazing.

Luke was the key, then. Luke and Leia. All along, the key to his redemption.

Amazing.

**Entry:**  
Anakin has begun getting himself back into shape, first of all. He exercises with the rest of us in the morning, both with the Force and with physical katas and the like. He remembers them almost as well as Ben and I know them, but now he must train his newfound muscles to learn them as well as his mind knows them.

Ben is still wary of Anakin, but at least he hides it well. I think I am the only one who knows, because of . . . well . . . truly, because of the bond.

And if Anakin notices, he does not comment.

Leia, however, is warming to her father. He is not quite Bail Organa, but for her, there is a sense of . . . of _rightness_, I suppose. Anakin is her blood father, and she cannot deny that anymore than she can deny that Luke is her brother. One day, I hope, if everything works out, they can learn to be the family they never were, the three of them – if Luke and Leia don't kill each other first.

They are, after all, twins, and that doesn't bode well for when they start arguing.

I suspect Anakin will have his hands full with them later on.

For now, though, he works to gain strength and relearn the Jedi ways. He is already meditating every other day, a vast improvement from what he was as an apprentice – at least, according to the tales of my own former Master.

Ah, even now I can't think of him without feeling sadness.

He died in peace, and his work helped lead to peace. He was a strong Jedi, and a good man, and almost everything I am, I am because of him. But still . . . it makes me wonder. He lived through a tragic time, a time I could not stop – but what if I could? What if I _had_? Could I have made his life better?

Could I have saved him the grief of Qui-Gon's murder, of Siri's death, of Anakin's turning?

Could I?

But this is all speculation, of course.

Walkers are forbidden from changing the fate of their own home universes, and I was still too young then to change anything anyways. I did not have the skill or the knowledge.

And so I suffered, and the rest of the universe suffered with me.

It is unfair.

But nothing, I know, _is_ fair.

Yet I am given the opportunity to perhaps change that one day, and _make_ things fair – for everyone.

I suppose that is why I am so willing to risk death over and over again to do what I can. If I can change the very path of fate, I can allow each universe to play out its own story instead of having the same tragedy play over and over again with the same people. I can save other Obi-Wans and Anakins and Padmés and Lukes and Leias from what they suffered. I can do what my instinct has always driven me to in my home.

Whether or not I can, of course, is another matter entirely.

But I must try.

I must.

**Entry:**  
Anakin needs a lightsaber.

He is ready, I think. He has regained his strength and his skill; his duel this morning with Ben ended in a draw, and he was even able to force both Ben and I back together when we moved to attack him together afterwards. He could wield his old lightsaber, of course, the one that he lost on Mustafar, but I feel he should not.

He is no longer that person anymore, after all, and we are taught to remake our lightsaber when we have passed a new stage.

Anakin has passed that stage.

He is a Jedi once again, and ready to take up his mantle as the Chosen One. Perhaps more than ready. He has spent 23 years in the light, and then 23 years in the dark – now he must stand with me, between them, and fulfill his destiny.

And to that do, he needs a worthy weapon.

Not a weapon that slaughtered an entire Temple of children and nearly took his best friend and former Master's life.

I am not yet sure how we are to acquire the parts needed. Most will be easy to find or trade for; he could even dismantle his old one and take some of the parts from there. But he will be a new crystal, and for that, he must make the journey to the ice caves of Ilum, where all Jedi choose their crystals and construct their first blades.

But Ilum is heavily guarded – has been, ever since the Empire took over and realized that it could be a perfect hiding spot for the Rebellion or for escaped Jedi.

And we do not want the Emperor noticing Anakin, for to get it, he would have to use the Force.

Or he can make his own crystals using the Force.

It is a rare and difficult art, and requires days and days of careful preparation and construction – to move into place each individual atom and structure the bonds to form perfect crystals, and more than one to boot.

I'm not sure Anakin has that patience.

He has the skill, and the power, and we can teach him the theory. But the patience is something that must come from within.

One hasty move, one diversion of attention, one lazy assumption – and everything will be for naught, for the crystals will collapse upon themselves. Or the lightsaber will explode in his face when he tries to ignite it.

I suspect Ben would be more than willing to see that.

Yet it would waste valuable time. . .

I must think on this.

**4 ABY**

**Entry:**  
Luke is missing.

I don't know where he went. All I know – all _we_ know – is that we had discussed the problem of building a new lightsaber and of rescuing Captain Solo last night, and Luke had gotten an idea but refused to confide it. Then he was gone by morning, and R2 and his X-wing with him.

We could trace him, of course, but Anakin has stopped me.

He wishes to see what his son will do.

It galls me, to know that Luke might be in danger while I sit here in ignorance and safety, in the blatant breaking of my duties.

But what can I do?

Ben, for once, agrees with Anakin, and I know all too well that he could overpower me if I chose to go after Luke. He won't do it lightly, for harming me will hurt him, but he will do it if he feels he must. And as my mate, he has the power to do so if he does so in my protection – which is exactly what he will feel like he is doing.

"_Don't be so dramatic, my love. I would not do so just because I feel like it."_

If you don't feel like it, Ben, you will not be able to do it.

"_Point. But my point remains."_

It just . . . I don't like this . . . inaction. Luke could be in danger, Ben. The Emperor is looking everywhere for him and Anakin, and here he waltzes out without any sort of plan or back-up.

"_Come on. Were he truly in danger, Leia and Anakin would feel it. And they would tell us."_

I know. It's just . . .

"_Calm yourself. Luke will come back in time."_

Hopefully.

**Entry:**  
It's been three days. Still no sign of Luke.

**Entry:**  
It's been a week. Nothing.

**Entry:**  
Two weeks. Still nothing. If that boy doesn't get back here soon. . .

**Entry:**  
I've made a promise to myself. If Luke does not return by nightfall tonight, I _will_ go after him. It's been a full month. Whatever he is doing, unless he's languishing in the Emperor's dungeons, there is nothing that should have taken him this long. He needs to come back.

And if I must drag him back, I will.

I am not invincible. But I am formidable. And Luke can not stand against me if I tap into my true potential and bring all my power to bear against me.

Or, at the very least, we'd exhaust each other in a battle of wills.

Whatever the case, I _will_ go.

And Ben will not –

What was that?

It was something . . . in the Force . . . but I don't sense anything wrong . . . or any danger . . . No, nothing. And my danger sense is pretty good, so what in the Force's name could it –

"_Kya, you can stop fretting now."_

Why? What's wrong? I just felt something in the Force and –

"_He's back, Kya. And you won't believe what he's brought back with him."_

That doesn't sound good. Or bad.

I'm actually not quite sure what it sounds like.

**Entry:**  
The little rascal!

He went to Tatooine, of all places! He decided to go and see if the old Obi-Wan Kenobi had left anything useful in his hut in the desert, and without laying out a plan or bothering to inform his sister or father, he packed up and left us wondering what in the universe happened to him. And in typical Skywalker fashion, he totally forgot to leave a note or message or talk to anyone – and totally didn't realize how worried we would be either.

So like his father.

But at least the trip was useful. Somewhat.

He has discovered a . . . journal of sorts. A journal written by the old Obi-Wan Kenobi. He says that it contained a fingerprint sensor, and was primed to burst into flame if the person who tried to open it was not Luke.

How old Kenobi got hold of Luke's fingerprint and set everything up, I have no idea.

And how Luke got the idea it might exist, I have no idea either.

But the journal is a treasure trove of information, and it is not the only one. There are plenty of other journals and datapads and even a Jedi Holocron there as well, dictating everything from the Jedi Code to – strangely enough – the forbidding of marriage to how to build a lightsaber. It is, of course, the last that Luke and Anakin are most interested in.

The procedure seems simply enough. And they both do need new lightsabers, as they have everything but the crystal all ready.

So in a few days, with luck, they will begin.

And not blow up anything.

**Entry:**  
Anakin and Luke have shut themselves away in Anakin's room. They are in meditation together, working in tandem to ensure that they both succeed – and to correct each other's mistakes if need be. They have been studying for a few days, and practicing, but of course all they really could practice was the theory. Now, here comes the true test. Leia is also deep in meditation, to offer support and anchoring and strength.

If we had a choice, Ben and I would help as well.

But this is not for us.

Anakin and Luke must do this themselves, or never at all. We cannot help. And so we won't.

Unless it seems like something might explode.

Then I will have no qualms about running in and interrupting the process, because if something explodes the crystals won't survive anyways.

I have no idea what colors will come of this process, although I believe that Luke will end up with green mainly because that is the color he bore in my home universe. Anakin . . . that is entirely up to him and how he constructs his crystals what coloring they take on. Once, it was blue. I have no idea if it will remain so.

For Leia . . .

For now, she has chosen against carrying a lightsaber. She will become a Senator and help form the New Republic as her brother and father help form the new Jedi Order, and she cannot split her attention between her Jedi training and that.

I suppose she has a point.

So for now, we wait and hope.

**Entry:**  
They are done.

Finally, after nearly an entire few days of working, they are done.

And remarkably, nothing exploded.

So now we are ready to give them one last test – for all of them. Ben and I will help, of course, but in the end, it will be Luke turn to prove his worthiness to become a Knight – to himself and to us.

We are all packed up now.

We travel to Tatooine, to free Captain Solo and confront Jabba the Hutt. We've spent a while yet, as we move through lightspeed, to come up with a plan of action, a plan that places Luke and Leia and Anakin as the main pieces with R2 and C-3PO as the secret pieces and Ben and I as the back-up. With luck, we shall avoid any problems and simply pay the gangster off.

If not, we'll have to fight our way out and more likely than not have to kill Jabba, because he certainly won't let us just walk away. Anakin will carry his lightsaber with him, concealed among the various weapons of his disguise and with some help from the Force when he goes in; Luke will hide his in a secret compartment Anakin made in R2's dome. Leia and Chewbacca will follow the droids in, to get Solo out if we can pay him off or to rest as two more hidden pieces ready to be brought into play when Luke finally arrives. Ben and I will shadow all of them once they enter the palace or if they come out, and if things go too far, we will go in.

I can only imagine how many things will go wrong with this plan.

But with our luck, _everything_ will go wrong.

[end of journal entries for Kya Ranor]


	41. Chapter 38

Final finale time! And no, we are nowhere near the end, as we still need to finish off the Solo issue and the Death Star and so on. However, it is the time for my final exams, and just like the midterms, I shall be posting a chapter a day until the finals are done. So: The plan is set. Anakin is back on the light side, has a new lightsaber, and gets along with everyone. Now they've just got one more tiny little affair to deal with called Jabba the Hutt. . .

* * *

**_Chapter Thirty-Eight_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Anakin Skywalker_ ~  
I clenched my teeth and, slowly and deliberately, moved my hand away from the lightsaber hilt concealed under my thick, dark guard tunics. I had disguised myself and perhaps cheated a little, but I had been hired, as per the plan, by Jabba the Hutt as an additional security guard. No one would recognize me, and should something go terribly wrong, I could spring to my children's rescue.

But for now, Kya insisted, I had to wait.

I didn't want to.

Even as I watched, the filthy little Kowakian monkey-lizard, Salacious Crumb, crawled around Jabba's dais, peeking at a dozing Leia, who was clad in such a skimpy slave costume that it had taken the combined Force-suggestions of Luke, Kya, and Ben to hold me back from fighting Jabba right then and there.

Leia, naturally, would have agreed with them.

I sighed, clasping my hands behind my back, and scowled at the ceiling. Leia still had not forgiven me, for various reasons – my torture of her during her stay at the Death Star, my allowing the destruction of Alderaan, my nearly killing Luke at Bespin, my freezing into carbonite of her Captain Solo, and so on. I understood that. But it frustrated me that she allowed my no opportunity to prove that I had changed.

I was not . . . completely . . . whole again. The pain of _Her_ death still was with me, no matter what Kya said.

And not just _Her_ death, either.

Leia simply was too strong-willed and too wary to forgive me so easily. Luke had, and Kya apparently had never hated me for reasons she did not divulge. I knew most of her past, and her husband's, but her motivations she kept far away from us.

But even so, Ben distrusted me as well. _Perhaps because I tried to kill him._

And, of course, I had easily realized just how protective of Kya he was whenever she seemed to be in danger. So my attack on her probably hadn't helped my chances.

I would time, lots of it. But hopefully one day I'd be able to reconcile myself to what had happened – and reconcile with my own kin. It was a drastic change for me, but it had been a year – a year's time to get used to the fact that my world was changing. And I had to change with it, which meant finding a way to fulfill my destiny properly.

Qui-Gon, my mother, Obi-Wan – I'd make them proud.

One day.

The Force flickered, gathering into a wellspring of focused power, and my head snapped to the door, all past thoughts gone.

_Luke._

He was early.

I reached for the Force and felt it swell as Luke used the Force to distract the guards and Bib Fortuna. Moments later, I saw his shadow on the staircase and moved back into the shadows.

This was Luke's moment. He would dictate how things went now.

My job was to observe.

For now, anyways.

"I must speak with Jabba." Luke was firm and unyielding, and he did not stop walking; exactly as we had advised.

Fortuna tried to stop him, and Luke raised a hand.

"You will take me to Jabba now," he ordered, and the Force rippled.

Fortuna's eyes clouded, and he immediately bowed and gestured Luke down towards the dais, mumbling random words about "honor" and "Jedi" and "serve" and "well". I guessed that Luke was taking his time, preparing for what he would have to do, and I did not blame him.

_Calm yourself, Luke, and everything will go well_, I tried to say.

His response was a casual shrug as he passed me.

I sighed. He was as pessimistic as my former Master sometimes, and I had no doubts as to why.

Fortuna clambered up besides Jabba, murmuring, "Master."

Jabba started awake at the word, eyes flashing open as his hand instinctively tugged at the chain bound to Leia's throat, causing her to open her eyes and nearly blush as she saw Luke standing in front of her.

"Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight," Fortuna continued.

Jabba snarled. "I told you not to admit him."

Luke's hand slipped in a gentle downwards arc as he focused steadily on Fortuna, listening to the Force to guide him with what to do, as his understanding of Huttese wasn't as good as my own. _So far, so good_, I told myself.

"I must be allowed to speak," he insisted quietly, lacing his words with a potency only a Jedi would understand.

And sure enough, Fortuna repeated the words mindlessly.

Jabba's eyes went from Luke to Fortuna. And then he roared, and his emotions surged in the Force so violently I nearly jumped. One hand flew out, and Fortuna stumbled from the dais with a dazed expression to crash hard on the floor.

"You weak-minded fool!" he shouted. "He's using an old Jedi mind trick."

I winced. _That's . . . not in the plan._

Luke threw back his hood, seeming to realize the same thing. Only he didn't give up. He stared long and hard at Jabba, his eyes glittering with power, and the Force swelled around him in a raging storm as he said, slowly and clearly, "You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee to me."

Jabba laughed, long and slow.

And then I knew that our original plan was _really_ not going to work.

"Your mind powers will not work on me, boy," Jabba rumbled, a pleased tone to his voice.

Luke didn't even blink, although he did reach for the Force. He took a deep breath. "Nevertheless," he told Jabba, "I'm taking Captain Solo and his friends. You can either profit by this or be destroyed. It's your choice," he reminded the crimelord. "But I warn you not to underestimate my powers."

Jabba merely snorted and laughed some more.

A tinny voice erupted from Jabba's dais, causing me to start, and then to frown. _C-3PO!_

"Master Luke, you're standing on – "

"There will be no bargain, young Jedi," Jabba interrupted arrogantly, obviously confident that victory was in his grasp. "I shall enjoy watching you die."

_Watching him –_

My gaze jumped to the paneling beneath Luke's feet even as Luke's hand flashed out and one of the guard's laser pistols flew to him, and my heart leapt into my throat. I had seen Jabba execute a danger on that same spot not even twenty-four hours ago – but Luke didn't know that, and there was no way to alert him, except –

_Luke – _

_I know, Father. I'm trying._

_No, not – _

My mental connection ran into a wall, solid and impenetrable. I gathered my strength and pushed at it, but nothing moved.

And then suddenly Kya was there in my mind, implacably calm. _No, Anakin_, she said firmly. _This is Luke's turn, not yours. He must pass his Trials, and now is the time. It is not time for you interfere._

_But – _

It was too late. Jabba roared out again, furious at Luke's demonstration of the Force's power, and his hand slammed down on the sensor.

The floor dropped away, and Luke fell, his face registering only surprise.

_Kya!_ I roared.

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
When Luke fell, it was all I could do not to leap from the dais after him.

Well, all but the chain around my throat.

And Ben.

I had never initiated mind contact with anyone, and up until now, only Luke had ever touched my mind – and only because we were bound by a mental link from birth. Kya and Ben had never touched my mind, verbalizing and demonstrating instead of creating a Master-Padawan bond in my mind, which would have been infinitely more effective.

Now, though, he touched my mind – and actually overwhelmed it.

_No, Leia._

His voice was quiet but firm, the voice of a Master expecting total obedience from an apprentice. I could do nothing before him.

_Luke might be killed!_ The dais moved forward, inch by inch, and I heard a furious roar from whatever creature lay below – and that Luke would face. _Listen! He will be killed! We _have_ to interfere._

_Leia_, Ben said, _Luke must prove himself to become a full Jedi. This is his turn. Do nothing. He will prove himself._

_What if he cannot?_

Ben sighed. _Then this was all a waste, and we should not have bothered._ He paused, to let the sting sink in, and his tone softened. _Leia, I do not wish to force any choice upon you. I beg of you at least a few minutes more of observation. If you find that you cannot stand this, let us know, and we will come._

I bit my tongue. It was a reasonable request. _Very well._

Ben vanished.

I leaned against the chain, looked down into the cage where Luke was trying to find a weapon, and prayed.

"Oh, no! The rancor!"

I gulped. _A rancor._ One of the most vicious pets Jabba must have. And Luke was to face it with no warning, no weapon, and no ability to escape. . .

_Have faith, Leia. Luke is no idle child_, I chided myself. I had seen his power before. He _had_ to prevail.

For ten long minutes, I watched with my heart in my mouth, straining against the slave chain about my neck, as Luke fought with the rancor, first to hide, then to prevent himself from being eaten, then to dash to the far gate where I could not see him, and then for the rancor to suddenly, inexplicably collapse with a loud whine, and not rise again.

Then I understood. _He did it!_

Jabba shrieked with fury, yanking back so hard on the chain that I choked.

The Force swelled with anger, and I saw Anakin step half out of the shadows, eyes fierce with anger, and raise a hand.

The pressure decreased, somewhat, and I breathed a silent thank-you.

I did not trust him. Or forgive him.

But that did not mean I would refuse what he could give me. And he was my father, after all, and watching Luke and I with our separate torments must, in turn, hurt him. Not that he didn't deserve it. But still . . .

He was a father too.

But it would be a long time before I could ever accept that fully.

Finally, shadows and shouts marked the arrival of Luke – and then Han and Chewie. I blushed before I remembered that Han was blind thanks to his imprisonment within the carbonite, and blushed more when I noted how Luke was careful to glance either at Han, Chewie, or distinctively above my head at Jabba's massive one.

_Shut up, brother._

He didn't respond.

"Are you all right?" he asked Han instead, not struggling against his captors.

"Fine," Han replied shortly. "Together again, huh?"

Luke shrugged, and then remembered Han wouldn't be able to see. "Wouldn't miss it," he said instead.

"How are we doing?" Han asked nonchalantly.

"The same as always."

"That bad, huh?" Then his eyes widened as he remembered something, and he started to look around, peering clumsily in his blindness. "Wait, where's Leia?"

And as pleased as I was that he remembered me, I wasn't sure it was the best time for this. . .

Luke looked at me and grimaced, as if to say, _It's your call, Leia._

I sighed. "I'm here," I announced.

Han's head swiveled straight to me, and his eyes narrowed, and in that moment I was thankful beyond measure that he couldn't see me right now – clad in the skimpiest clothes possible with a collar around my neck and Jabba petting me like some exotic pet.

Jabba rumbled, and 3PO appeared.

"Oh, dear," the droid fussed. "His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hutt, has decreed that you are to be . . . terminated . . . immediately."

"Good, I hate long waits," Han muttered sarcastically.

But Jabba wasn't finished.

"You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea and cast into the pit of Carkoon, the nesting place of the all-powerful Sarlacc."

"Doesn't sound so bad."

"In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering, as you are slowly digested over a thousand years."

_What?_

I twisted to stare at Anakin, whose face was equally surprised – and equally furious. Yet he did not move. Perhaps Kya or Ben had stopped him as well?

"Ah – On second thought, let's pass on that, huh?" Han said hastily, fighting against the guards who tried to pull them away.

Chewie barked in agreement.

Luke merely looked straight at Jabba, his eyes cold. "You should have bargained, Jabba," he warned. Then he laughed. "That's the last mistake you'll ever make."

I stared.

We were so far from the original plan it wasn't even funny. And Kya and Ben would have barely enough time to _learn_ of the new development, much less get over to help. So we'd have to take on Jabba with only Anakin having a proper weapon close by, as Luke's was in R2-D2 and I hadn't seen the droid once in my entire time here.

_Oh stars above, how are we going to fix _this_?_


	42. Chapter 39

Day 2 of my final finale! So: The plan is no longer useful. Anakin is the only one with an accessible weapon. How in the name of the Force can they salvage _this_ situation?

* * *

**_Chapter Thirty-Nine_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
I opened my eyes and leaned forward in the landspeeder. There had been a stirring in the Force, kind up like how the wind starts to pick up right before a tornado, and now it was really starting to gather in strength. We had been waiting for that kind of signal for a few hours now, and had spent our time deeply immersed in the Force.

Even so, Kya was faring better than I was.

"Is that them?" she murmured.

I squinted into the distance, calling on the Force to help me see. "I think so. Jabba's probably the only crimelord around here who can afford such a giant sail barge all for decorative purposes only."

"Hmm." Kya didn't open her eyes. "The sail barge is heavily armed, Ben. It's not as meek as it seems."

I sighed and settled back in my seat. Raising Aurora and helping to train Padawans had given me patience, but inaction in the face of such a problem as this galled me. I should be doing _something_ to help Luke and Leia and Anakin.

Kya smiled slightly. "Relax, Ben. We were only ever meant to be back-up," she reminded me.

"I know. But this . . ."

"I know."

I turned to her and drew her close to me. She opened her eyes and curled against me within my embrace in response, relaxing in the way she never did unless with me. It still awed me sometimes, the amount of trust she placed in me – and reminded me of my responsibilities concerning her safety whenever she was under my watch. She was my mate, and therefore I was the sole person charged with the greatest amount of her protection. And I would not fail that mantle.

I pressed my lips against her hair. "How can you be so calm?" I murmured. "In the face of so much danger and adversity and risk, how?"

"I am not calm."

"You look it."

"Appearances can be deceiving, Ben." She paused. "Right now my heart feels like it's about to fly out of my chest, actually, and my stomach is doing flip-flops. If there is anything I am, it is not calm."

"Yet you know it will work better than I do."

"I saw – _heard_ it work once," she amended. "I can only hope that it will work again."

"And if not?"

Kya sighed, and pressed herself even closer to me. I could feel that threatening edge of vulnerability start to slip into her. For all of her strength and power, she was quite weak sometimes and in some cases. Like now. Now she could only wait and see what happened before she could act, and she would act knowing it might be too late for someone she cared about.

She had so much pressure on her, so many burdens, so many problems.

_Too many problems for one to carry alone_, I thought.

_That is why I have you_, Kya reminded me.

"Maybe. If I am enough."

Kya stared at me as though I'd grown six heads. The possibility of me not being enough had clearly never occurred to her.

Warmth spread through me, and I hugged her closer.

She was vulnerable, yes. But so was I. And yet somehow she loved me anyways, and somehow she found the strength to keep on going and do what had to be done and try to hold her head up high and sort things out.

_I will never stop loving you_, she told me sharply. _Ever._

"I know."

It took a while, but finally Kya began to relax again, and I held her close, knowing the moment of peace would not last.

And, finally, regretfully, I murmured, "It is time."

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
I gave a little salute towards the top deck, where R2 was, and caught eye contact with my father, who let his hand stray to his belt. Leia was on the barge somewhere in that hideous costume, and I hoped she'd be all right. I was sure that we would get to her, though, and even more sure that she'd definitely carry her out weight in our newfound plan.

Adaption was Leia's strong point.

I gathered the Force to me and sent it out in a rippling call that flowed across the dunes. Distantly, I felt someone reflect the waves, and I knew that Ben and Kya were on their way.

I smiled. _One more thing to go._

I turned and faced the sail barge, calling on the Force to let my voice ring strong and clear. "Jabba!" I called. "This is your last chance. Free us or die."

The only response was laughter.

But I had been expecting that. And even though I did not relish a fight, just as no Jedi did, it did not mean that I could not or would not fight if the circumstances changed so that a fight was the only way out.

It was the only way out now.

The guards poked me in the back, and I stepped up to the edge of the gangplank. One step. Two steps. Three steps.

And then I jumped off.

But not quite.

The Force flowed around me, twisting my body so that I turned just in time to catch the edge of the plank with my fingertips. For a single second, I hung there, completely vulnerable. And then it sprang upwards due to the weight, and I followed its motions to leap high over the guards' heads and land right in the middle of the platform – just in time for my lightsaber to complete the arc from the sail barge and land in my outstretched hand.

I smiled, and flicked the switch.

A guard gave a startled shout as he tumbled over the edge, and I heard the distinctive _snap-hiss_ of another lightsaber.

I lunged forward and started fighting immediately. The Force gathered, swelling to a powerful crescendo, as my father and I used it in tandem, working together, and the Force fed our efforts and flowed so that we worked as one, with each reaping the benefits of the other's work.

The guards stood no chance.

In a blink of an eye, they were all gone, sent tumbling over the edges or simply killed with a stab through the heart. Another batch of guards raced towards us, firing crazily, and my father leapt onto the railing.

"Get Solo and Chewbacca free," he ordered. "And if I'm not finished, go after Leia."

Then he sprang forward, the Force giving him unmatched power as he leaped across the distance. The guards immediately stopped shooting at us and started trying – unsuccessfully – to take my father down.

I moved to Chewbacca's side and sliced through the bonds. Then I repeated the movement for Han, and pressed one of the guard's dropped spears into his hand.

"Here, take this – I'm going after Leia!" I shouted.

But even as I turned, a wire lashed around my body. It was so tight I nearly fell over, barely able to find my balance as it coiled around my ankles. And my hands were pinned to my body, making it nearly impossible to wield my lightsaber in my defense. I struggled, but the wire was too tight, and the bounty hunter was aiming his rifle right at my face –

At the last minute, I threw myself to the side, and Fett stumbled as the cable went with me.

I twisted my wrist, ignoring the painful twinge – and there! The cable snapped and uncoiled, leaving a dazed Fett behind.

"Stay here!" I shouted to Han.

Then I sheathed my lightsaber and leapt for the barge.

It wasn't easy.

I had overestimated how much power I needed, and as a result, I slammed hard against the side. The wind was knocked out of me, and I barely had the presence of mind to seize handholds and then to yank the guard that popped up away from my face before I could force myself to keep climbing –

Only to find that the reason I hadn't been shot down as I climbed was that the guards were otherwise occupied.

Ben and Kya danced across the deck, their whirling blue blades weaving a precise, elegant pattern that disabled guards, melted weapons, and in general caused mass havoc all over the place.

I grinned. It was nice to have back-up.

Then I leapt onto the deck and went for the gunners aiming at my father and Han. They were down before they'd even registered my presence. Next came the extra guards – too easy, all too easy, to deflect their bolts right back at them. The Force guided me, and I did not hesitate; I merely listened, and it guided.

It was an amazing feeling.

I could have fought with my eyes closed, and walked out completely unscathed.

"Luke!"

Kya was suddenly beside me, her sapphire eyes blazing, her presence in the Force a shining beacon of power.

"Luke, find your sister! She's below deck, with Jabba!" She batted away a guard and sent the other tumbling over the railing. "I'll cover you!"

I nodded and took off down the decks –

And collided straight into her.

"You got away?" I asked incredulously, staring at my sister as R2-D2 came trundling up behind her, beeping in satisfaction.

Leia nodded, panting.

I grabbed her hand. "Come on! Ben and Kya will cover!"

We ran, blindly and as quickly as possible, for the top deck. There I was forced to let go and leap forward, lightsaber blazing, to clear a way to the edge of the deck, where I sliced a large cable and eyed the distance from the deck to the other barges. It would do, barely, but if I needed to, I could call upon the Force.

I gestured to Leia at the same time that I balanced myself on the railing. "Grab my arm, and hold on tight," I ordered.

"Luke, Leia, _go_!" Ben shouted.

I took a deep breath and pushed off. We swung across, and I couldn't even breathe – and we landed with a thump on the deck. The cable froze, and I turned to see my father standing there with one hand directed at the cable, his eyes fierce as he concentrated. Leia leaped down, and I followed, and then I released the rope.

Ben and Kya landed moments later, their robes blowing about them. "Let's go, and don't forget the droids," Kya said.

My father grinned. "On our way."

As we zoomed away, I felt a tremor in the Force, and then the sail barge exploded with a fury of a bomb, scattering fire and metal in every which way.

I let out a deep breath.

_We did it._


	43. Chapter 40

Day 3 of my final finale! So: They have escaped from Jabba. Now all that remains is to heal Han, get Leia back into respectable clothes, see Yoda before he dies, rejoin the Rebel Alliance, and deal with the Emperor and the Death Star. No big deal, right?

* * *

_**Chapter Forty**_

**4 ABY**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
I let out a long breath as we speeded over the desert towards old Kenobi's hut, where we had first rendezvoused and prepared for freeing Captain Solo. I was still somewhat surprised that everything had worked out quite so neatly, with every element coming into play just as it was needed, and our efforts combining to produce the best possible outcome of all despite everything appearing to have been lost.

Ben seemed to sense my relief, for he slipped an arm around my waist. "It is done," he murmured softly.

"I know."

We weren't the only ones relaxing, though. Even as I watched, Luke was letting out a long sigh and leaning against the rail, smiling freely again. Anakin flashed him a quick smile and let him take the controls before going up to Leia and offering his cloak, which she accepted warily.

I frowned. "She still doesn't trust him?"

Ben shrugged, his gaze showing only compassion and, strangest of all, understanding. "She would be a fool if she threw down her defenses so quickly," he replied. "He has done great damage to her. And she is naturally suspicious of outsiders, anyways."

"Can she ever forgive him?"

"I don't know."

Consternation suddenly filled the Force, and my hand moved automatically to my lightsaber before I realized that it was just Ben and not something from my danger sense. I looked at him, and frowned.

"Ben?"

He nodded absently at Han. "What's wrong with him?" he asked quietly. "The Force feels . . . strange around him."

I looked at Han, and for the first time noticed the awkward way he moved. My frown deepened. _I shouldn't have forgotten that bit._ It was just effects of the carbonite freezing, and they would wear off in time, but I still shouldn't have forgotten that the Captain had spent a year frozen and would therefore need some help to heal.

"You or me?"

"Reading my mind again?"

"If you have the answer and don't tell me," he pointed out, "what other recourse is there? And I'm always reading your mind."

_I know._

He nudged me with his shoulder, a clear dismissal. "Well, then, go on, help him before we have to stop this thing and find out he can't walk straight," he said, his eyes glinting with amusement.

I sighed. But I did straighten and walk over to Han, who looked around wildly at my approach. He was better than he had been just after Leia sprang him from the carbonite, if the images from her mind were anything to go by – his eyes weren't as cloudy or dazed – but he was clearly still somewhat blind.

"Do you want some help?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "How in the galaxy's name could you help me? Leia said I have no choice but to sit it out. . . See what happens. . ." His tone was unhappy but resigned; he thought he had no other choice but this.

"Perhaps. But healing trances can do wonders." I paused. "If you'll allow me."

His eyes narrowed. "What are you going to do?"

"I will simply put you in a healing trance, which allows your body to speed up the healing rate and therefore recover faster," I explained. _Now for the more unpleasant side effects._ "You'll be unconscious for a few hours, but you'll be able to see and move better. I can't promise perfection, because for that I'd have to remain linked with you and direct everything. But you will heal. It doesn't require Force-sensitivity for the body to heal itself, merely time and rest."

"Why can't I just wait it out?"

I shrugged, and then remembered that he couldn't see that. "You can, if you wish. I will not stop you."

"You could, though."

And then, quite suddenly, I got it, and everything Han had ever done made sense. _He doesn't truly believe in the Jedi's abilities._ I sighed. _It makes sense. . . He is old enough that his parents, or whoever cared for him, would have heard Palpatine's lies about the Jedi Rebellion. . . And he served at Carida. . ._

Now, of course, he had seen what Luke could do – what we all could.

But he still didn't quite trust us.

And Ben and I especially, as we _were_ part of the old Order. He had served alongside Luke, and he trusted him not to stab him in the back. But Ben and I – we were Jedi from the old ages, with strange habits and perhaps questionable morals. He couldn't understand us, and therefore did not trust us.

"If you feel uncomfortable with me administering the trance to you," I said, "I can have Luke do it."

He was good, I had to admit. He had an excellent poker face, even blind.

But the Force whispered to me, and I could see how his exhale was just a tad bit bigger than normal and how his shoulders lowered just an inch.

"Thank you," he murmured.

"I'll have Luke do it when we get back to the hut. Then you can sleep in a real bed."

_Ben?_

_Hmm?_ He lifted his head._ Did he agree?_

I retreated to Ben's side as he slipped an arm around me, and sighed. _Yes and no. He doesn't really trust us, Ben. He only agreed with I said Luke could do it._

Outwardly, his face didn't chance, but I could sense Ben's sudden understanding – and his frown of unhappiness. _I suppose that makes sense. He is old enough to be raised in the furor over the "Jedi Rebellion", isn't he? But_, he continued, _I suppose he needs more time. He's only known us for a few months, and in that time we failed to save him from the carbonite._

_I know._ I pressed my head against his shoulder. _I'm just not used to all this . . . suspicion._

_It is not your fault._

_Hmm. . . Does Luke know how to do a healing trance?_

_I know Master Yoda taught him the theory, at least. Worst comes to worst_, he suggested, _I can link to him and make sure he does it right. He needs the practice anyways._

~ _Anakin Skywalker_ ~  
I knew that Kya and Ben were having their own private discussions without even looking at them. The Force pulsed around them, strong and focused and binding. They were formidable apart, between Kya's Force potential and Ben's lightsaber skill, but together they were nearly invincible – and all because of the life-bond that bound them together.

I avoided looking at them all the same though.

The love between them – it was clean and brilliant and _pure_. And the results of the bond were much better than the results of the bond I had held with . . . _Her_.

I wasn't really jealous. More like . . . I didn't know.

_I just wish that their fate could have been mine as well_, I thought.

They were so happy together, and so perfectly fitted to each other. And even though they were not without trouble, at least they could face it together and without any anger or regret towards the other.

I wished I could have that.

For now, my best substitute was my children.

Luke had accepted me. He had listened to my critique of his technique during the fight, and he had obeyed me without arguing. The bond between us was strong – partly because he was also a Jedi, and partly because Luke had always believed I could be saved and never given up or stopped loving me.

Leia . . . I was having more trouble with her.

She had inherited my stubbornness, and she had certainly seen more of the more questionable things I had done as Palpatine's apprentice. And I had even tortured her.

No, trust between us was going to be a long in coming.

If it came at all.

I slipped off my cloak and held it out to her. "Leia," I said. "Put this on before you get burnt."

She stared at me with wary eyes before finally taking it. That made me wince. I knew that had Ben or Kya done the same, she would have perhaps told them not to worry, but she would not have eyed them with such scrutiny before she accepted. She trusted them, perhaps even looked up to them.

"Thank you," she mumbled.

I sighed. "Leia . . . Princess Organa. I can't expect you to forgive me. But can we at least . . . work together?"

She stared at me with cool brown eyes. "Isn't that what we did back there?"

"I meant . . . now."

Leia's eyes narrowed, and for a long moment she studied me as though she hoped to dissect my very soul. Then she said, very carefully, "Listen to me, Darth Vader. You are not my father. You stood by while Tarkin destroyed my real father. I cannot accept you to take his place. I never will. I will work with you, but do not expect me to welcome you with open arms as Luke had."

"I never did."

"Indeed. And if you give me one indication that you are turning back – " a blaster glinted at her waist before the cloak hid it again " – I won't hesitate to shoot you."

"And Luke?"

"I'll deal with him when that comes to it."

I nodded. I could at least respect her confidence, even though it hurt me. "Then promise me something."

"What?"

I looked away, wondering how I could possibly explain this to her – I had failed to explain things to _Her_, after all. "The Emperor is very powerful. It took the power of two Jedi to break his control over me." Now I looked at her, and my gaze was just as steady and cool as hers was. "If Palpatine seems to get back in control of me, and Luke doesn't believe you, do what you must to protect him. Even if you have to kill me."

She stared at me for a long while. "Why me?"

"Because I think I've already done enough damage. And I think you would have the right if Darth Vader emerged once again, and Luke is too much like his mother to stop me, even though he probably can."

Leia inclined her head. "If you wish . . . Anakin."


	44. Chapter 41

Day 4 of my final finale! So: Kya has one more test for Anakin Skywalker. What will she do to him?

* * *

**_Chapter Forty-One_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Ben Kenobi_~  
"I've got it."

I looked at Luke. He certainly _seemed_ ready, and even though it usually took longer than a few months to learn how to do healing trances properly, Luke was, I knew, a Jedi far more powerful than I would ever be. Things usually went easily from him, like his father before him.

"Are you two ready yet?" Han grumped from the corner.

I raised an eyebrow. It appeared the Captain still hadn't recovered from the indignity of having to be guided into the hut and to bed by Leia, even though he had seemed to enjoy the attention.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Coming, Captain Solo."

I reached for Luke at the same time that Luke placed his hands on either side of Han's head. The Force gathered like a mighty storm, held in place only by sheer will. I closed my eyes, and contented myself from watching from afar. Luke was doing well . . . so far. And it wasn't like a healing trance gone wrong would do much harm; if the technique was done improperly, the only result was usually that nothing happened.

Han twitched, and then his eyes rolled back and he sank into a deep sleep.

_So far, so good_, Luke thought.

_Don't be distracted_, I admonished. _Finish everything first._

_Yes, sir._

I felt Leia's curiosity pressing at the edges of my awareness, and for a second I debated withdrawing from the bond to try and explain things to her. No doubt Han going so suddenly unconscious disturbed her; we hadn't really explained what we were going to do other than that it would heal Han's blindness.

Then Kya touched me. _I'll deal with her. Do you want Anakin to act as an anchor or leave?_

I returned my attention to Luke. He was now directing his power to help speed up Han's healing, and focusing on the parts that needed the most attention, like his atrophied muscles and clouded eyes.

_No, I'll think he'll be fine. I can act as an anchor. And if Luke needs more strength, I can give it._

_All right._

I frowned. There was something in her mind that she was . . . _Kya, what are you hiding from me?_ I demanded warily. Usually if she hid something, it meant something was really wrong – and that there was something I should know about.

Kya's emotions took a freefall into confusion and shame. She sometimes still forgot just how intimately we were bound.

_Kya. . ._

She took her time in replying. _It's . . . nothing. Just a little something I need to do._

_Which is?_ I paused, struck by a new thought. There was only one person that Kya would not be able to tell me about, if it came to it, and that was Lady Elizabeth. _Has your Lady Mother contacted you with something?_

_No. This is something the Force tells me to do. There is still one more test Anakin must face before we are ready to confront the Emperor._

I frowned. What else could we possibly test Anakin with or on? _And the test is . . ._

_Don't worry about it. Concentrate on Luke._

_Kya – _

But then she was gone, and instead of her presence all I could feel was Luke's worry. He had sensed my attention being drawn away, and as this was his first time trying to do a healing trance, he was naturally nervous.

I groaned. Whatever Kya was up to, it would have to wait.

_What is it, Luke?_

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
I finally withdrew from the rapport I had created with Han's mind when Ben was satisfied with the work I had done.

I opened my eyes, stood, turned around to face Ben – and nearly fell over.

Ben supported me as I limped to a chair, perhaps having expected what had happened to me. He smiled and moved off to the cabinets as I slumped, too drained to really care about how I looked at the moment. Besides, he had seen me in worse conditions – especially after wandering around training on Dagobah.

"So . . . how do you think you did?"

I opened one eye. "Why didn't you tell me it was so . . . exhausting?"

Ben laughed. "It's different for everyone, Luke," he explained patiently, handing me the cup of caf. "Some people have no problems. Others will keel over right next to the patient. But you'll get stronger with experience."

I swirled my cup moodily, waiting for the caf to cool. I wasn't ready to keel over, but I was ready for a nice long sleep.

"And you? How does it go for you?"

Ben shrugged, sipping at his own cup as though the hotness of the liquid didn't bother him. It probably didn't; he had the formal training to not be bothered by anything that sought to intoxicate or inconvenience him. "It depends on the severity," he confessed. "If it's a minor wound, I can do it. But the bigger the wound, the more power I must invest, and I am much better at administering a healing trance to myself and Kya than to someone I don't know. I leave that to the healers."

I tilted my head, confused. "If you have trouble projecting, why is Kya easy?"

Ben hesitated. Finally, he said slowly, "Kya and I have a very powerful bond. It is therefore easier for me to heal her."

"Ah."

I lifted the cup and took a big gulp, hoping to cover my slip. They had _said_ the bond was strong, but I had never believed it was really that much stronger than the bond between my father and me.

But if my father had been injured, me trying to administer a healing trance would not have gone well.

"And Kya? How good is she?"

Ben shrugged. "She doesn't usually need to go into one. Her own powers are more than able to deal with it."

"Her what?"

Ben sighed and tugged at his beard. "I can't explain it to you," he said, his tone frustrated. "It's a secret I can know but not tell, I'm afraid, for her own protection. You'll have to ask her about it whenever you get the – "

The Force rippled then, strong and dark, and we both jumped in surprise. My cup tumbled to the floor from my startled hand, splashing dark liquid everywhere and staining my pants. Ben sprang for the door with a muttered curse, the Force already rumbling around him, and I heard the blur of shiny metal that signified that he had drawn his lightsaber.

I followed – and came to dead stop.

My jaw dropped, and my hand fell away from my lightsaber. Or, at least, I _thought_ it fell away from my lightsaber. It was only until I glimpsed Ben, his face filled with frustration and his own hand shaking as it returned his lightsaber to his belt, that I realized that I hadn't moved my hand of my own will. Kya stood there, her lightsaber activated, and one hand pointed at the both of us.

It was then that I realized what she had done.

Ben's eyes narrowed as he glimpsed my father standing some distance off, his lightsaber activated and angled in the ready stance for Djem So.

"What are you doing?" he asked lowly, his voice surprisingly calm.

"One last test."

I struggled against the Force-hold, but no matter how much strength I used, she always beat me. Actually, it wasn't so much as strength as the force of will and experience, and I had never tried this before.

She, obviously, had.

"I cannot allow this." Ben's voice rose in anger. "He could kill you, or worse. This is in direct defiance to my mandate."

"He will not kill me."

"You do not know that for sure."

Kya sighed and lowered her hand, but the hold remained, strong and unbreakable. "This has to be done by a daughter of the Force, Ben. I must do it. And now, before it is too late." She paused. "I am sorry."

I glanced at Ben. His face was angrier than I'd ever seen it before. It wasn't the same dark hatred I had sensed from my father or any of the other Imperials I'd encountered, but it was potent and powerful all the same. I could feel the Force raging around him like a thundercloud, and I knew that the only reason he did not break the Force hold was because he did not want to hurt Kya. Yet in that moment, for the first time, I understand just why I had always been wary of him whenever I had interacted with Kya.

He was dangerous if she was in danger. _Very_ dangerous.

I would never hurt her, but Ben didn't know that. He merely protected her against everyone, just to make sure.

And it would explain why Kya seemed so carefree when being introduced to strangers. She knew that he would protect her no matter what.

"Are you ready, Anakin?"

He merely sank deeper into the opening stance in response.

Kya smiled tightly. Her blade flickered up and then down and away in the traditional salute to open a duel before coming up to guard again in the opening stance of a lightsaber form I'd never seen before.

Then, with a single bound, they clashed in mid-air.

The duel took my breath away. I was skilled, but I would need many more years of practice before I would approach the skill of my father or Kya. They flowed effortlessly through their forms, parrying and striking as though it was natural, because they had practiced for so long that it had become second nature for them.

Yet they seemed almost evenly matched. Kya was swifter, but my father was stronger, and together they were equal in the Force.

And so the duel continued long into the morning, with the Force-holds that bound Ben and I not faltering for a single second, until, finally, they scored killing blows simultaneously.

Ben stiffened.

But Anakin merely laughed and clipped his saber to his belt before bowing to her gracefully. "Well, I'm glad we never had to duel before."

Kya smiled and flicked a finger in our direction. The Force eased, and I breathed safely again. Ben was at her side in a moment, his hand drawing her towards him and away from Anakin, his impassive Jedi mask sliding back on immediately now that the duel was over.

"You can relax," she murmured.

"Not if you intend on springing something that like on me again."

"You did really well," Kya told Anakin. "Your skill is almost completely back now. I guess you can take over training Luke in Djem So now."

"It would be my honor – Ah!"

My father doubled over in agony, and seconds later, the wave of pain or distress or fear or whatever it was hit us all. Even Leia lurched to the side with a gasp, one hand clutching at her head. We all frantically strove to shields ourselves – but then, just as suddenly, the wave vanished, leaving nothing but emptiness behind.

Leia was the first to recover. "What," she said slowly, "was that?"


	45. Chapter 42

Day 5 and the last day of my final finale! So: They all felt the tremor in the Force. But what did it mean?

* * *

**_Chapter Forty-Two_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
We gathered in the dusty hut, and with a gesture from Anakin and Ben, the door swung shut and the shutters rolled down over the windows. I was grateful for the thought, even if the doing was a little creepy. But between Kya and Ben and Luke and Anakin, I was starting to get used to the creepiness of whenever they used the Force instead of doing things themselves. I didn't always like it, though.

The sandstorm hit moments later, causing me to jump.

Kya sighed, rubbing at her forehead, and opened her eyes. "I don't sense anything. It's just . . . vanished, completely. I can't even find the source."

Ben frowned as he sat beside her. "Nothing?"

She nodded.

Anakin scowled from where he leaned against the door and crossed his arms. "I don't get anything either. Luke?"

Luke shook his head.

My glance darted between all of them. Ben and Kya were conversing quietly again, while Anakin and Luke seemed to be waiting for someone . . . anyone . . . to make a decision about what to do.

I groaned internally. _Why me?_

Finally, I said, "So what are we going to do about it?"

Kya and Ben shared a single glance. Then she said, "I think we have stayed out of sight for too long. The Alliance should have gathered by now; I think it's time that we met them."

I blinked in surprise. "The Alliance will not wish to meet him."

They understood me immediately.

Ben raised a calming hand. "Don't worry about Anakin, Leia. They do not need to meet him, actually. We intended merely to take advantage of the Alliance's strategies to deal with the Emperor himself," he explained. "The Alliance can then use our distraction to do whatever they wish while we take care of him."

I turned the plan over in my mind. It made sense.

And if Alliance command met Anakin, they'd imprison him, and Kya had made it very clear that he and he alone would be able to defeat the Emperor.

I didn't understand everything, but I knew that bit.

"So we leave."

Kya nodded, standing. "I'll go with you to the Alliance and try to explain things to them. And Luke – "

"I know," he interrupted. "I need to go to him."

Ben touched Kya's shoulder as he grabbed his cloak. "I'll go with him. Someone needs to keep him out of trouble long enough to reach the fleet," he joked.

A brief smile flashed across her face, and she stayed still long enough for him to kiss her on the forehead. Then we moved to gather up everything – weapons, clothes, food – we would need before we dared to try and brave the sandstorm. Luke and Anakin seemed particularly wary of going out, but they both acknowledged that sandstorms lasted too long to try and wait it out.

I didn't realize _why_ they were so uneasy until I stepped out.

The wall of wind and sand nearly bowled me over the first step. It was only the lightning-fast reflexes of Anakin that saved me, and I was warier after that.

The sand cut into my skin like ice, stinging every bit of skin they reached. It was irritatingly painful, and I knew immediately that I would be spending long hours afterwards washing the sand from my clothes and hair. In fact, if I even _got_ to somewhere I could wash, it would be a miracle, because I couldn't see anything past my nose, which wasn't saying much.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kya halted.

I could make out three large vague shapes, and I guessed that we were finally there.

Chewbacca growled something.

"I don't know," Han shouted back. "All I can see is a lot of blowing sand!"

I snorted. That was a great way to answer a question. "That's all any of us can see," I pointed out.

Han blinked in surprise. "Then I guess I'm getting better."

I rolled my eyes. Luke had placed Han in a healing trance the entire afternoon – of course he was getting better. It wasn't like the Jedi had expended all that effort just to play a prank on him. That would be silly beyond any extreme.

Kya and Ben raised their hands, and the wind started to die down a little bit as they used the Force to, I guessed, divert the wind around us.

Creepy or not, at least it was useful.

Then 3PO hit a switch, and the gang-plank to the _Falcon_ started to lower.

Han turned suddenly to Luke, a strange expression on his face. "I've got to hand it to you, kid," he said reluctantly, "you were pretty good out there.

Luke shrugged and flashed a grateful smile at Ben. "I had a lot of help," he said neutrally. "Think nothing of it."

"No, I'm thinking a lot about it," Han said, shaking his head vigorously and shuddering. "That carbon freeze was the closest thing to dead there is. And it wasn't just sleepin'. It was a big wide awake nothing!"

Luke nodded sympathetically and moved towards his X-wing. "I'll see you back at the fleet," he called.

Ben hugged Kya and followed.

Han scowled, perhaps thinking that Luke was insulting his beloved bucket of bolts. "Why don't you leave that crate and come with us?" he suggested.

Luke smiled and shook his head as he popped the canopy. "No, I can't." He gathered himself and leaped upwards, landing neatly in the cockpit. "I have a promise I have to keep first . . . to an old friend."

Then the engines roared, and Luke and Ben lifted off within moments of each other.

I watched them go, wondering what they weren't telling me.

When I finally started up the ramp, I saw Han looking dubiously at Anakin, and I remembered that he had never seen him before, and maybe didn't even know who he was. But when I started back down to conduct introductions and perhaps separate the two if they decided to fight it out, Kya stopped me with an outstretched hand.

"Leave them be," she said softly. "You cannot solve all of their problems for them. They must choose whether to work together or not."

I stared defiantly at her. She was powerful, but her readiness to trust in Anakin. . .

"Yet I can't have that choice?"

Kya turned to me, and the coldness in her sapphire eyes was enough to chill my soul. "You have made your choice, Leia. You wanted his help to free Han, and he gave it. How much more must your father do before you accept that?"

And then she walked up the ramp, leaving me behind, shaken.

"Guess I owe you some thanks, too," Han was saying reluctantly.

Anakin shook his head. "I'm sorry. But I figured if I left you frozen like that you'd just give me bad luck the rest of my life, so I might as well get you unfrozen sooner or later." He jerked his head towards the ship. "Come on, let's get off this miserable dust ball."

Moments later, we were in space.

"I'll meet you back at the fleet," Luke was saying as I entered the cockpit to find Kya leaning over the communication center with Han and Chewbacca at the controls.

"Don't dally, you two," she said.

"Hurry. The Alliance should be assembled by now," I added, coming up behind her.

"I will."

Han leaned towards us. "Hey, uh, Luke . . . thanks. Thanks for comin' after me." He paused, and his laugh was rather disappointed as he continued, "Now I owe _you_ one."

Even from here, I could sense Luke's smirk.

"Get going, you two," Kya ordered. "You won't have much time. I'll talk to command."

"Yes, ma'am," they chorused.  
The Force rippled, and then the two X-wings jumped into hyperspace, vanishing abruptly from the viewscreen.

Han leaned back with a sigh. "Now where are we going, Your Worshipfulness?"

I sighed. _Sometimes I wish I _had_ left him frozen in carbonite_, I thought ruefully. But I answered dutifully. "Sullust. We rendezvous there to received the plans for our next attack." _Assuming we got the intel, of course._

"They have it. They just have to decide what to do with it," Kya said absently, reaching out to flick the communicator off.

I eyed her warily. "How do you know?"

"They've had a year to get the intel, Leia. If they didn't have it, they would be returning to find a new base and to the attack-and-flee campaign, like before. They haven't. So I would assume they have it. They wouldn't drop everything just to hold their breath to wait for us to come back."

"You have a point," I admitted reluctantly. "And you have a plan, don't you?"

Kya smiled mysteriously. "Why, certainly. What's the point of going into this without a plan? Rather a bad idea, don't you think?"


	46. Chapter 43

**_Chapter Forty-Three_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
_Tap. Tap. Tap._

I closed my eyes, and for a few seconds, I could almost make myself believe that I was back on Coruscant, at home, and that I was listening to the sound of the same old healthy Master Yoda, steadily tapping his way to class.

It didn't last long, that mirage.

The Force swelled as Master Yoda turned his attention to the two of us. He was old and frail, but the Force was still strong with him, and whenever he went, the Force gathered to him. "Hmm," Yoda croaked. "That face you make. Look I so old to young eyes?"

I raised an eyebrow, confused, and then turned to Luke, who looked hastily away.

I smiled sadly. _He still has not become reconciled to the possibility of the death of the ones he loves . . . even though it has happened so many times._ It was something every Jedi had to learn for himself or herself – and the lesson was always painful. I had learned it the hard way, when I had stared through the energy barrier and realized that my Master and my lover might die – but thankfully, things had not turned out that way.

Luke . . . he would not find out so easily.

"No," Luke said. "Of course not."

Yoda croaked a bitter laugh as he hobbled towards the corner. "I do, yes, I do!" he countered, knowing as well as I did that Luke would have to learn how to accept death sometime. "Sick have I become. Old and weak." He leveled a shaking finger. "When nine hundred years old you reach, look as good you will not. Hmm?"

He turned, still laughing and coughing, and limped towards his bed, looking as close to death as any person I had ever seen.

_To think how far the Order has fallen_, I thought. _And how far my own might have. . ._

I felt a rush of affection towards Kya, even though she was so far away that she wouldn't feel it. For one, she had saved everyone in my home from this bitter fate. And for another . . . well, she had lived and been forced to watch her own home universe fall to this fate, and felt this pain, and see this horror.

And yet she had somehow found the strength to go on.

"Soon will I rest. Yes, forever sleep." Master Yoda sighed, settling back into his bed. "Earned it, I have."

Luke's next words confirmed our fear. "Master Yoda," he protested, "you can't die."

"Strong am I with the Force," Yoda responded, "but not that strong. Twilight is upon me and soon night must fall. That is the way of things . . . the way of the Force."

Luke didn't give up. "But I need your help. I've come back to complete the training."

Yoda grunted, whether in pain or sadness, as he pulled the blankets around him. "No more training do you require. Already know you that which you need."

"Then . . . I am a Jedi?"

Luke sounded stunned. I held my tongue. Yoda was Luke's Master; only he had the right to declare such a truth. _Years ago, there would have been a ceremony, but now . . ._ And Luke had no idea what Master Yoda's words meant.

But Yoda wasn't finished.

He shook his head. "Ohhh. Not yet." He moved to look seriously at Luke. "One thing remains: Sidious. You must confront Sidious. Then, only then, a Jedi will you be." He sighed. "And confront him you will."

Luke went silent, and I could see that he was wrestling with something. I wanted to help him – but this was his fight. Not mine.

_We are here to guide_, Kya had told me. _Whatever change that comes about must come of their own will, not of us pressing our will upon them. I am not their savior, come to put everything right. They must do that, or else it will all be for nothing._

I had said I understood.

Now, I wondered just how bitterly she must have railed against her Lady Mother for such a burden of a responsibility.

"Master Yoda . . . I know Darth Vader is my father."

The old Master's eyes widened, and he opened his eyes to stare at Luke. Clearly, he had not expected him to know. "Told you, did he?"

Luke swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Unexpected this is, and unfortunate . . ."

Luke straightened in surprise, his eyes suddenly angry. "Unfortunate that I know the truth?"

"No," Yoda said sharply. He leveled an accusing finger at Luke, clearly dismayed at his jumping to conclusions. "Unfortunate that you rushed to face him . . . that incomplete was your training. Not ready for the burden were you."

"I'm sorry," Luke muttered, cowed.

Master Yoda sighed. He seemed to have given up, I noticed – and that was the worst sight I could have ever seen in the old Master's eyes.

But then again, he had known pain I had never known.

Pain, I knew, could break anyone.

"Remember," Master Yoda said finally, "a Jedi's strength flows from the Force. But beware. Anger, fear, aggression – the dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

And then he did somethign I never could have expected – he beckoned Luke to him.

_The final request_, I realized, stunned. My Master had done the same to me, before Kya had saved his life.

But I had never imagined seeing Master Yoda on his death bed do the same to his newest and last apprentice.

"Luke . . . Luke . . ." Every word was a death rattle, spoken on a hard-fought for breath of air that cut into me with unimaginable power. "Do not . . . Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or suffer your father's fate, you will." His voice lowered. "Luke, when gone am I . . . the last of the Jedi will you be." His voice lowered so much that it was barely able to be heard, even with the Force. Even Luke seemed to have to strain to hear. "Luke, the Force runs strong in your family. Pass on what you have learned. . . Luke . . ." The great Master blinked, and it seemed now that it was only his strength of will that kept the Force from claiming him. "There is . . . another . . . Sky . . . Sky . . . walker."

Luke blinked in surprise. I stared, equally stunned.

_Another one? But Kya has already met Leia. . ._

A shiver ran through Master Yoda. A puff of wind echoed through the small hut, and the old Master's eyes closed. Then the Force gathered like a storm, and slowly the Master's body faded from sight, until his blanket and gimer stick fell to the floor. The Force drained from the room.

And Master Yoda was dead.

~ _Luke Skywalker_ ~  
I wandered, dazed, back to where the X-wings were parked. For once, we had managed to land on land instead of in the swamp. But that triumph meant little to me after what had just occurred back in Yoda's hut.

R2 beeped at me.

I sighed. "I can't do it, R2. I can't go on alone."

I wasn't really alone. I had my sister, I had my father, I had Ben, I had Kya, I had Han . . . I had a lot of people. But right now that knowledge really wasn't much comfort. After all, Yoda had just said so himself: I would have to face Darth Sidious, Dark Lord of the Sith and Emperor of the Imperials and the one who had been the downfall of the entire Jedi Order . . . by myself.

Then a voice spoke out from the darkness, one that for a moment made me think I was dreaming.

"Yoda will always be with you."

I looked up.

A shimmering blue outlined in blue stood there, hands clasped, face serious. "Obi-Wan!" After I got over the shock, I marched over. "Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded.

Obi-Wan approached me slowly, the Force rippling around him as though he was a swimmer and it was sea. The branches and weeds and water of Dagobah didn't seem to bother him as he walked; he left behind no ripples and passed through the branches as though they weren't there.

I decided to clarify. "You told me Vader betrayed and murdered my father."

It was true – Ben and Kya had cleared up the story. But I was still angry that I had been deceived in the first place.  
I knew how. Now I wanted to know _why_.

Obi-Wan sighed as he settled on a branch and, for once, didn't pass through it. "Your father was seduced by the dark side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father was destroyed." He sighed. "So what I have told you was true . . . from a certain point of view."

I stared, aghast. I had been lied to and deceived, and his only offering was the fact that it was from a certain point of view?

"A certain point of view!" I repeated derisively.  
Obi-Wan sighed again. "Luke," he said gently, "you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."

I studied him in silence. My anger was cooling, and his words were starting to make sense. A little bit, at least. But still . . .

"Anakin was a good friend," Obi-Wan said, gazing off into the distance as though he could see back to the past. He turned back to me as I sat beside him, his eyes sad. "When I first knew him, your father was already a great pilot. But I was amazed how strongly the Force was with him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi." His gaze strayed from me again. "I thought that I could instruct him just as well as Yoda." He sighed heavily, and for once, I could see just how haunted his eyes were – worse than Yoda's. "I was wrong."

I hesitated. The pain was still there. Still deep. Still haunting. But . . .

"There's still good in him."

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed. "He is more machine now than man. Twisted and evil."

The implication was clear: He cannot be saved.

"He has been already saved, Master Kenobi."

We both turned to see Ben standing there, his arms crossed, his expression emotionless. How long he had been listening, I couldn't tell, but he seemed to be slightly unnerved by old Obi-Wan, even though they were both Jedi.

"He waits with the Alliance fleet for our return, with my wife," Ben continued. "He has already been turned back to the light. And he is no longer a machine."

Obi-Wan seemed to not hear him – or perhaps he simply was wondering if he was being fooled.

"He speaks the truth," I concurred. "I have seen him, and he has helped me. He is my father again. And I am – "

" – not a Jedi yet," Obi-Wan interrupted. "You still must face Darth Sidious, Luke, if you are take up the mantle of a Jedi Knight for real."

I sighed. _If Darth Vader had been so bad . . . how can I face his master?_

"I can't do it."

Obi-Wan remained unyielding. "You cannot escape your destiny."

"Luke," Ben said quietly. "You have done many things that you once thought you could not. You have grown – you have changed. You are not the same anymore. But your destiny is something only you can do."

I frowned. "I couldn't even defeat his apprentice – how can I face him?" I demanded.

Obi-Wan smiled slightly, to my surprise, and leaned forward. "Vader humbled you when first you met him, Luke . . . but that experience was part of your training. It taught you, among other things, the value of patience. Had you not been so impatient to defeat Vader then, you could have finished your training here with Yoda. You would have been prepared."

"But I had to help my friends."

"And did you help them?" Ben asked, his tone amused. "As far as I recall, it was _they_ who had to save _you_."

I scowled. "I don't think I can do it."

Ben sighed and looked away, as though exasperated. Even Obi-Wan leaned back, his face resigned, as though he had predicted my response, but was not heartened to hear it.

"Then the Emperor has already won," Obi-Wan murmured. "You were our only hope."

"I can't be the _only_ person," I protested, thinking of Kya and my father. "And besides, Master Yoda spoke of another."

Obi-Wan shifted. "The other he spoke of is your twin sister."

"You mean Leia?" _Blast. She was right. Neither of us is older than the other. Well, there goes pulling rank on her. . ._

Obi-Wan nodded, no longer seeming to be surprised by my in-depth knowledge of my convoluted family tree. "To protect you both from the Emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born. The Emperor knew, as I did, if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him. That is the reason why your sister remains safely anonymous."

"Thank goodness," I muttered.

_If the Emperor got his hands on Leia. . ._

"When your father left and Darth Vader was born," Obi-Wan continued, "he didn't know your mother had survived to give birth to you and your sister. Master Yoda and I knew he would find out eventually, but we wanted to keep you both as safe as possible for as long as possible. So I took you to live with your uncle Owen on Tatooine and one of our friends took Leia to live as the daughter of Senator Organa, on Alderaan. The Organa household was high-born and politically quite powerful in that system. Leia became a princess by virtue of lineage."

"But didn't someone know?" I asked.

Ben cleared his throat. "No one knew she'd been adopted, of course," he answered. "And those who did kept the secret well, to protect her."

Obi-Wan nodded, and continued, "But it was a title without real power, since Alderaan had long been a democracy. Even so, the family continued to be politically powerful, and Leia, following in her foster father's path, became a Senator as well. That's not all she became, of course . . . She became the leader of her cell in the Alliance against the corrupt Empire. And because she had diplomatic immunity, she was a vital link for getting information to the Rebel cause. That's what she was doing when her path crossed yours, for her foster parents had always told her to contact me on Tatooine, if her troubles became desperate."

I clenched my hand without thinking. Leia was strong, but she was untrained. _Sidious will rip her to pieces if he finds out._ I, at least, could fight – I had something that Sidious wanted.

Leia . . .

"But you can't let her get involved now. Sidious will destroy her."

Ben sighed, leaning against a tree. "She isn't powerless, Luke. Her power, while not as strong as yours, is still instinctive. But you are right. She hasn't been trained in the ways of the Jedi the way you have, Luke. However . . . the Force is strong with her, as it is with all of your family. She will live."

I bit my lip unhappily. I didn't want to involve Leia. She was happier dealing with Alliance command and directing battles – and much safer.

"There is no avoiding the fight, Luke," Obi-Wan said, standing, as the blue outline shimmered and he began to fade. "You must face Darth Sidious. And you must destroy him."

I groaned. _Oh, great._


	47. Chapter 44

**_Chapter Forty-Four_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Leia Organa_ ~  
For perhaps the first time in all the months I'd known the two Jedi, Kya seemed about ready to explode in anger. Her hands were carefully clenched in her lap, so it seemed to a casual observer that she was fine, but her eyes were narrowed and dark, and her mouth was a thin line of displeasure. Even with my limited talents, I could feel the way the Force gathered around her in a dark, angry storm cloud.

Actually, more like _thundered_ around her.

Han and Chewie had long since lost interest in our discussions, and C-3PO and R2 watched the entire conversation avidly, as though we were a match between political opponents. Even some of Alliance command was starting to watch with glazed eyes.

Not that this was surprising to me. After all, we _had_ been going at this – the same arguments and counterarguments – for the past hour or so.

"The security is impossible to breach," Mon Mothma repeated sternly. "Even our best would not even begin to measure up to what we would need to break in. At most, our hopes are to trigger the same destruction we achieved with the first Death Star."

Kya sighed impatiently. "What you _want_ and what you _hope_ for – Senator, those are two drastically different things," she pointed out sharply. "What you _hope_ for and I _hope_ for is the same: the end of the Empire. The only way that will happen is the death of Emperor Palpatine. And the only way to get to Emperor Palpatine is the Death Star."

"Perhaps," Mon Mothma replied evenly. "But I am part of Alliance command, not you, and we will not sanction a suicide mission."

The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

"May I remind Alliance command, then, that I am not part of the Alliance," Kya said slowly, looking steadily from each member of the command council with the steel only a Jedi could project, "and _I_ will act as I see fit."

"You will stay with the Alliance, or forfeit our protection," Mon Mothma said.

I blinked. This was a side of the Alliance command I had never seen before, and it was almost as if they were . . . threatening . . . a Jedi.

Kya didn't seem fazed. "I have survived thus far without the Alliance," she reminded the council. "I don't rely on you. And to be fair, I do not _need_ you to survive either. May I remind you, Senator, that I am a Jedi, and I was a Jedi long before you were a Senator in the old Republic, much less in the new Imperial Senate. My duty is to peace and to the Republic, and if you refuse to sanction that which can accomplish that, I see no reason to listen to you."

"You are a member of the Alliance!"

"You can't betray us!"

Angry shouts riddled the room. _They can order threats_, I noted, _but they think it terribly offensive if others do._

For the first time, I reflected, I understood why Kya hadn't told them about Anakin.

Kya stood, fire burning in her sapphire eyes. "How," she asked, "do I betray you by killing the Emperor and allowing you, the Alliance to Restore the Republic, to fulfill the conditions set forth by the Senators that created you?"

General Madine scoffed. "You can't take down the Emperor alone."

"She won't be alone."

Everyone jumped in surprise or reached for weapons – but even as they turned to level those weapons at the speaker, the blasters abruptly defied gravity to point their barrels upwards, rendering them completely useless. Immediately, I relaxed; there were only a few people in the universe that could do that, and it obviously wasn't Palpatine or Vader.

Ben and Luke stood in the doorway. Luke headed straight for me, and I stood to hug him.

Whispers of surprise spread, and General Madine stood. "Master Kenobi; Commander Skywalker," he said. "Where have you been?"

"_Jedi_ Kenobi," Ben correctly, his voice a tad annoyed from where he stood beside Kya.

"And where we have been is coming here," Luke continued, his voice steady, but much less annoyed.

_Well, that's a change_, I thought. Usually Luke was the impatient one.

Luke suppressed a smile, and the Force rippled through our twin bond. _Ben was becoming ever more agitated the entire time_, he told me. _That's why he's so annoyed right now; he is a great deal more connected to Kya's emotions than he seems. And when she's upset – _

_He feels it?_

_Exactly. And he feels the need to defend her._ Luke turned back to the command council. _Now, where were we?_

_Right about to try and convince them to let us go._

Luke cleared his throat. "Why are you so against this?" he asked curiously. "It's a good opportunity, from what I overheard at the briefing. And it would help us take down the Emperor, which is the entire goal of the Alliance."

Admiral Ackbar sighed. He hadn't said a word the entire time, but in the Force, I could feel his indecision. He was a military general and he had seen firsthand the damage the Emperor and his servants could do, so he understood our side about the rarity of the opportunity. On the other hand, he also knew of how risky this mission was, considering how close to failing the info mission had been – and how likely we were to fail.

But we needed his support.

We needed all the support we could get, really.

Now he leaned forward. "It is the goal," he said. "But we will not achieve it by rash action. Too many have lost their lives throwing them uselessly against the Emperor."

"We are not rash," Ben countered. "But one can only wait so long to debate before the opportunity passes by."

"And if you fail?"

The silence grew cold again.

Luke exchanged a worried glance with me. Mon Mothma had pointed out the one weak spot in our entire plan, for if we failed, things would be far worse then even if the Rebel plan to blow up the Death Star failed. And if we told them that, it was all too probable we wouldn't get the go-ahead.

Kya and Ben were ready to go on without any support, of course. But they needed Luke and me, and we couldn't just desert our posts in the Alliance.

Finally, Kya chimed in, her voice soft. Ben's presence seemed to have calmed her, somewhat, and she looked once again like a Jedi, completely in control. "If we fail, then your plan becomes all the more important. At the very least, if we are captured, the Emperor is sure to remain on the Death Star, and even his powers aren't enough to protect him from an explosion."

Uneasiness filtered into the room. I looked round at the council, gauging our support.

My shoulders sank.

We didn't have enough.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
I could feel Leia's unhappiness without even turning my head to read her face. The Force practically sang of it – that, and Luke's apprehension, and the unease of the council. True, I had threatened them, but still . . . It was almost unnatural, how quickly things had changed from a discussion to a debate to an argument. And usually I wasn't this frustrated so easily, either.

Ben squeezed my shoulder. _They are politicians. It's their job to annoy us._

_Says the diplomat._

_Diplomat _Jedi_._

I leaned forward. Leia was right; we needed their support. Now was the time to get it. "I will not abandon the Alliance," I reassured them. "But this is something that _must_ be accomplished. And I would rather do it with your support."

The unease lifted, somewhat.

Ben frowned, clearly feeling the shift as well. I felt him extend his powers to join mine, widening the protective boundaries of the Force until it soaked the entire room.

I closed my eyes briefly.

Yes, there was darkness here. _But how could they reach us? If Sidious knew where we were, he would come after us. . . And he shouldn't have this kind of reach, to strike us all which darkness._ That, more than anything, worried me. Sidious was very strong, but even Anakin would have struggled to influence this many people so far away when he didn't know exactly who or where they were. Even I would struggle.

But there was no struggle, no uncertainty, no weakness.

And if Sidious were this powerful. . .

_Which is why there are going to be four of us facing Sidious, and not just you_, Ben said sharply, easily detecting the direction my thoughts were going.

_If he is this strong. . ._

_Then we must put our faith in the Chosen One to be stronger. You can't strike at Sidious, Kya. It's not your destiny. It's Anakin's. And he can do it; it has always been his destiny to right his universe. He may just need a little help._

_From us._

Ben smiled. _Of course._

"The security of the Death Star is impenetrable," Admiral Ackbar protested finally, but without any true force.

"Nor can we afford to lose our best," General Madine added sternly, his eyes flitting pointedly over us – the only acknowledgement or praise we would get from him.

I sighed.

The Force was dark and murky, but I was a Walker – a child of the Force. It called to me no matter what, and I could hear it, no matter how weak it was. And it told me that this was our chance, and that we had to take it or lose everything.

Besides, just as Anakin's destiny was to right this universe, it was my destiny to right them all.

One at a time, of course.

"We have no choice – this may well be our only shot at taking out the Emperor." And now, I allowed myself a little smile, recalling an old lesson. "And no security is flawless."

Ben's smile widened as he glanced at me.

Luke blinked.

I raised an eyebrow. _Ah, he _is_ growing stronger, if he's able to pick _that_ up._

For the first time, Anakin reached out from where he hid in the _Falcon_ and touched my mind. _Sister_, he said. _You've _got_ to be kidding me. _That's_ your big plan?_

_Yes, brother._

Leia cast a troubled glance at us. She could feel the change in the Force, no doubt, but she probably could not divine exactly what it meant for us. Or perhaps she was just picking up on Luke's unease and asking him about it; her lack of strength in the Force didn't hamper her twin-bond with Luke at all.

Mon Mothma eyed us coolly. "What do you propose, then?"


	48. Chapter 45

**_Chapter Forty-Five_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Anakin Skywalker_ ~  
"Please tell me this was part of the plan."

This statement was greeted with exactly what I _didn't_ want. Kya merely frowned slightly at my declaration. Luke and Leia exchanged a single glance and then went back to fiddling with their stuncuffs, apparently trying to rig them to make them easier to open. Ben sighed and said, "I've been trying to convince her of the same thing."

"I didn't know this would happen."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You've felt the darkness, Kya. It's far stronger than any natural Dark Lord ought to be able to project," he reminded her. "I told you we wouldn't be facing something normal."

"Understatement," I muttered.

The plan _had_ been to sneak our way into the Death Star the same time the Alliance let it leak that they were massing near Sullust, and then to confront the Emperor in his throne room. Between the five of us, it shouldn't have been an issue to deal with any guards we encountered – although Kya acknowledged it would be hard to fight the Emperor, as Leia didn't want to fight with a lightsaber and technically Kya and Ben could not interfere, because bringing balance was my role, not the role of a Walker. But she had been steadfast in her belief that I would triumph, because she said that was how it always ended. She just wasn't sure about what the victory would cost.

But I had come in ready to pay whatever price. Sidious had cost me almost everything in my life; he would _not_ be allowed to further harm my children.

And so we had hijacked an Imperial ship, landed in the bay, and prepared to create a diversion via the Force so we could slip away – only to come out and face almost every single battalion that was on the Death Star, armed with Force-inhibitors and stun grenades and with Darth Sidious himself watching, meaning our Force-tricks were useless.

We had fought, but uselessly; with the Emperor watching, Kya and Ben were reluctant to showcase the true limits of their power, and it didn't take long before we were forced to surrender.

And so now, here we were – waiting in detention cells for the Emperor to call for us.

Kya sighed, finally, and for a second, her vulnerability showed. She was young, I reminded myself, struck by how I had not noticed before – far younger than I was, even though she was older than Luke and Leia. Yet she carried so much weight upon her shoulders, like me.

_It is the same for all children of the Force._ Kya smiled humorlessly at me as her mind touched mine. _And actually, I do not know my true age. Do not be so quick to judge by appearance, brother._

"So what do we do now?" Luke asked.

"We wait," Ben said simply. "We wait until we meet the Emperor. I'd rather not try and see what happens if we attempt to break out. We'll be better off saving our energy and waiting for him to come to us."

Leia frowned. She had been skeptical of the plan from the start. "What if he doesn't?"

Kya closed her eyes for a moment, and the Force swirled around her, ancient and strong. I frowned. There was something about how she did it, something strange. . .

Ben noticed. "She's asking what to do," he explained.

"Asking who? We're alone – "

The Force crackled with power abruptly, and Kya's eyes opened. "We wait until the Alliance starts its attack," she announced, suddenly confident. "Sidious will be busy enough showing off the capabilities of the Death Star to the Alliance; if he doesn't release us, we'll go to him then. At least he'll be alone."

I eyed her uneasily. For Kya to make such an abrupt transformation to being unsure to being quite clear. . .

"It is her Lady Mother," Ben said quietly. "Kya is still an apprentice Walker, Anakin. She still can ask for guidance from her Master."

"Her Master is a Walker?"

"_Was_. She is long dead now," Kya answered wearily.

Luke seemed about to ask more questions, but just then we all felt the approach of stormtroopers, and I realized –

"Wait, how come we can feel the Force?" I demanded. We had all been hit by the Force-inhibitors during the fight; even Kya had been unable to defend herself against the sheer amount of numbers arryaed against us, and had gone gray in the face before falling to the ground, struck nearly unconscious by the sheer shock. Her reaction had been the severest, but Ben too had staggered from the pain, as had the rest of us.

Kya smiled mysteriously, and the Force kicked up around her like a small wind stirs up snow. "Do you really think mere Force-inhibitors are enough to completely sever a child of the Force's connection?"

I thought about it for a moment. Then, too confused to make true sense, reached for the Force myself – and felt it respond, as strong as it ever was. But those Force-inhibitors shouldn't have worn off for another twenty hours. . .

"You have a point." I turned to my children. "Luke? Leia?"

Luke nodded, after a moment. "But it's very faint," he told me. "I can't do much of anything except sense things."

I turned with hope to my daughter, but Leia could only shake her head. "Practically completely useless," she said with a sigh. "I can barely even sense the twin bond."

Luke frowned. "Oh. I thought that was me."

"No."

With a sigh, Kya reached for them, and the Force swelled at her command. She was, I noticed uneasily, about as strong as I was where potential was concerned, since I knew many Jedi things she didn't and she could do things with the Force I didn't even guess one could. This, however, was one of the latter times.

Then, the Force died away, and Luke and Leia were once against shining beacons in the Force.

And just in time.

"Step away from her!" barked the leader of the squad come to fetch us, and Kya recoiled at once, rearranging her features as she shrank to seem shy and confused.

The cell door slipped away, and the troopers reached inside to yank us out. They ignored it when Kya stumbled, probably drained from her exercise with the Force, and they also ignored the dangerous look in Ben's eye as they did so. I gave them some of my own glares when they reached Luke and Leia, of course, and received my equal share of blatant disregard.

_Well trained_, I noted.

And that, more than anything, sealed it. I now had no doubt where we were going.

~ _Darth Sidious_ ~  
The special troopers hauled the group into sight one by one out of the lift. They had been specially prepared for this mission, thanks to the talents of the White Lady, and were therefore completely impervious to any Force tricks this particular batch had up their sleeves.

_Not_, I reasoned, _that they have much._

I regarded my apprentice's new state with a bit of surprise. He had adapted very quickly to life without a suit.

But then, I had always known it was possible for him to live without the suit. It was just a great deal easier to keep him confined. It made him easier to deal with, and certainly I would not have missed him if he had succumbed to death because the suit had caused him to fall prey to the youth and vigor of the boy.

Yes, and there was the boy. He wore black, but in the attire of a Jedi – in keeping with the dark robes his father had favored at his age, I guessed. He did not have yet the bearing of a mature Jedi, but that would come with time; he already had a lightsaber of his own, and he had survived the Trials the other Jedi had put forth to him. He would make a fine apprentice, perhaps even better than his father – if he could be convinced to access his rage and anger.

The young Princess of Alderaan was the only one in the group not wearing Jedi robes. I frowned. Yet the Force echoed around her, soft yet persistent, and it took only a moment to recognize her Force-signature, now unclouded.

_Another child. So . . . twin children. This will be very interesting. Let us see who is the better apprentice. . ._

I finally received a shock when I looked upon the other man dragged out of the lift. He gazed at me steadily with the composure of a Jedi Knight, but there was something . . . off about him. The White Lady had warned me of the Walker's mate, whom I assumed was this man – but she had not told me that he looked exactly like the young Kenobi had during the Naboo War, years and years ago. And yet there was a steadiness to him, an aura of power, a sense of control – that I had not sensed from the young Kenobi. This one was something different.

But he would be no trouble. His power was bound to his Walker; without her, he was powerless and weak.

I turned my gaze unto the Walker. She was young, I noted, young and fiery. Her power raged like a storm pent up within a container, and her emotions flitted from anger to peace to fear easily. She was strong. But she did not know, truly, how to use her strength.

And she was merely an apprentice.

I leaned against my throne as the group was hustled up the stairs, content. _Ah, to think such a ragtag group might defeat me. Such naivety._

I was slightly surprised that they had come alone. Even counting on the pitiful attempts the Rebels were making to blow up the shield generator and implode the Death Star, the Walker should have known better than to think to take me down with two Jedi Knights, two children, and some Force powers that wouldn't do much in close quarters.

Then again, the White Lady hadn't lied to me yet.

I opened my mouth to speak – but the Walker beat me to it.

"What do you want, Palpatine?" Her voice was young too, but I could sense the thrum of power there – just like the White Lady. And her eyes spoke of the horrors she had faced, horrors that stolen her youth and innocence.

_So, there _is_ more to you than meets the eye. . . Impressive. But with the Jedi blindfold on your eyes and the Jedi shackles binding your true power, not quite as impressive as it could have been._

I flicked a finger in their direction, and one by one the stuncuffs fell open and to the floor.

"You no longer need those," I said lazily. I shifted my gaze to the troopers guarding the lift. "Guards, leave us."

I watched with glee as the children shifted closer, uneasily. Even the Walker's mate glanced at her, seemingly unsure, and I could see in his eyes the devotion he held to her.

_Yet another shackle._ I sighed. Maybe it was a good thing he would die. Trying to un-train all these bad habits would take _years_, and that was just for perhaps the Skywalker boy, who hadn't learned that many. To retrain the mate . . . No, he would just have to die, and I would have to get by with the Skywalker boy.

"Luke Skywalker will not be your apprentice, Palpatine." The Walker smiled slightly. "And nor, I think, will my brother be your apprentice any longer."

For a second, I was truly surprised. Her powers were more developed than the White Lady thought, then.

But then I recalled just how more powerful the Lady herself was.

_She will handle this apprentice easily._

I stood, slowly, feeling another grin unfurl over my face. _Let them make of me what they will._ For a second, I let the concealing Force-glamour fade away – just for a second. And then I basked in the confusion, the fear, the surprise that I sensed from the group, and most especially from the Walker, who for the first time turned to her mate as though needing support. _Yes, little Walker, seek support – you will find that once you finally get the courage to act, it will be too late._

_Actually, it is already too late for you._

"So . . . you chose this route, Walker," I said, relishing the open surprise on her face. "The White Lady predicted you would – and now you and your friends will suffer the consequences."

I raised my hands and called upon the White Lady, as she had taught me.

And the whole universe screamed.


	49. Chapter 46

**_Chapter Forty-Six_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
To say that I was startled was a grave understatement.

Even as I forced my eyes open and struggled to sit up, fighting the weakness and fatigue that always came with the travels to the netherworld of the Force, my mind darted here and there, trying in vain to understand why and how things had gone just so terribly wrong. There was no way that Sidious should have known that I was a Walker, or of the White Lady, or most especially, how to throw down such a challenge.

Ben appeared at my side, his face twisted in a scowl. "Leia and Luke are unconscious," he said immediately. "They won't be any help."

I sighed. It would have been nice to have them by our side, as a reminder for Anakin; it had been Luke, after all, who had helped to turn Anakin back to the light to begin with. But we would have to make do without them, it seemed, and hope for the best. "And Anakin?"

Anakin was the key; if _he_ was unconscious, unlikely as it was, then we would have some major problems.

Ben shrugged as he helped me stand. "Conscious, but dazed. Hopefully he still has his wits about him, but I'm sure you'll know how he fares better than me."

Anakin _was_ dazed, but he was alert enough to stand, and to demand, "What the kriff is going on?"

I glanced around. "I have no idea, brother," I said honestly. The netherworld of the Force seemed peaceful, with the mist swirling here and there with no ill intent or shadowing of darkness; it could have been the scene of one of my many lessons with my Lady Mother. And I felt no danger at all and no presences exist for Anakin's and Ben's.

So either one of my trained siblings was here, or Sidious had never learned how to properly challenge us.

Ben crossed his arms. "I doubt they've discovered another Walker. Your Lady Mother would know," he pointed out. "And he would have to be really trained to conceal himself for you and Anakin. And me."

Anakin frowned at him. "Why you?"

"Because he or she would harbor ill intent towards Kya," Ben explained patiently, "and I would sense that."

"Ben is stronger than you think, Anakin," I said absently, closing my eyes. He was right, of course – but that didn't help my worries. Sidious definitely had a plan to get rid of us, and that made him dangerous. Yet if even Ben, as my mate and protector, could not sense him. . . He wouldn't exactly be completely powerless, even without the Force, especially if he had truly made contact with the White Lady.

Not that I even really was sure who she was or what she could do.

"Are we alone?" Ben murmured.

I opened my eyes, still utterly confused. I couldn't sense anyone or anything, really, even with the techniques my Lady Mother had taught me.

"I think so."

Ben closed in his eyes, and I felt the Force coil around us, while streams of mist peeled away to race and bounce around the area. Yet he, too, found nothing, and when he opened his eyes, he turned to Anakin with a question in his eyes.

"Ah, Anakin?"

He didn't open his eyes. "What?"

"Don't use the Force," I warned.

"Why – oh." He had run into the very barrier I had hoped he wouldn't. He was my brother, but he would have to learn to use the Force as a child of the Force instead of just as a Jedi. Even Ben had had to learn how, otherwise he would be cut off entirely, the same way almost every Jedi was when they tried here in the netherworld of the Force.

"How am I supposed to do anything then?" he complained unhappily.

"Accept your heritage."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anakin demanded.

Ben shrugged. "Whatever you allow it to mean."

It was a standard answer, but in truth, it was also the _only_ answer that could be given. Each child of the Force would have to accept that fact eventually, but on their own. No one else could help them. And until they did accept it, they would not be able to access their true potential.

I had faced the same moment a long time ago. Now it was Anakin's turn.

I let Anakin struggle for a few minutes more while I crossed to Luke's side and tried to wake him. I knew it was most likely be a futile exercise, which it was, but I had to try. Short of that, I tried to see if there was any injury.

_Nothing_, Ben said, looking up from where he knelt by Leia. _There seems to be no danger._

I sighed. _There shouldn't be. Hopefully between the three of us – _

_They have no protection? Anakin _is_ a child of the Force, and he is protected, so should the Force not also protect his children?_

_I . . ._

For the first time, I actually considered Ben's question for real – and realized that I had no answer. Most Walkers didn't have children, I remembered, and if they did, they were so few and far in between that there weren't many records. Most either became Jedi or Sith, and died fighting mortal battles without many hints of their true heritage. After all, even Aurora and Winter were pretty normal in terms of Force sensitivity, even though I was considered a strong Walker by the Walkers' standards.

_I have no idea, Ben. I'll have to ask Lady Elizabeth one day._ I stood. _Another question I need to remember._

Ben smiled gently. _I'll remind you._

In other words, he was telling me, quite simply: _You aren't alone._

"Where are we?"

"In the netherworld of the Force," I answered absently, surprised he hadn't realized where we were. Most children of the Force knew instinctively, even if they could not find the words to describe what they knew.

"And that is?"

"A part of the Force open, usually, only to the Jedi who have passed on or to children of the Force and their mates," I explained. "It is also the place where Walkers gathered in the past to fight the same battles that the Jedi and Sith now play out in the various universes, or to pass on the lessons that only a Walker could learn here. But, of course, with the Walkers dying out, it is a place rarely used. Even I don't come here that often."

"You come here often?"

"I _am_ still an apprentice, Anakin."

"To?"

"Her Lady Mother," Ben answered, stepping to my side. "Lady Elizabeth."

Anakin blinked. "What?"

"She is a former Walker," I said. "And long dead. So I have to meet her here if I wish to learn any of my lessons."

"Could you, I don't know, call her and see if she can get us out of here?"

I met Ben's eyes, feeling his surprise and his doubt. Anakin had a point, even if I had a gut feeling that it wouldn't work.

I tried anyways.

But even when the sun and moon glowed on my hands and the mist swirled with the electricity and power of a call, I felt no response. My Lady Mother either could not hear me, or was prevented from interfering. She had indicated as such, in the beginning, but only now did I realize how much I had wanted her to be lying, and be able to actually give me some advice, vague as it might be.

Ben shook his head. "She already said that she would not interfere," he reminded me. "And even if she could, I doubt she could break the Rules."

I frowned. "I forgot about that bit."

It was slightly depressing, how little I remembered about the Rules of the types of combat Walkers fought in the netherworld of the Force. And even more depressing considered that I had already faced on. But then again, Walkers weren't expected to learn how to fight in such combats until they had passed their final tests, as apprentices were usually off-limits during these fights except if they stood on the sidelines and watched. Unless, of course, like me, the apprentice was the only living Walker left to challenge.

_Yet another question to ask._

"Who is the White Lady?" Anakin asked suddenly.

I whirled to him, confused. He was no longer trying to access the Force; instead, he seemed to be trying to listen to it, to let it fill him, and make do with whatever he was hearing. It was a start, at least, to the right technique.

But still, where had he gotten the idea of the White Lady?

It wasn't like the Force was very happy about relaying information about a fallen child of the Force.

"A legend," I said finally, wondering how much I could actually tell him.

But Anakin was having none of it. "About?"

"She was the first female Walker, and she fell in love, to her end, with another Walker. But she was too strong on her own, and together with her mate, she was far too strong for the Force to tolerate. They were separated, permanently, and are reincarnated every thousand or so lifetimes to try and seek each other again." I paused. "And I have no idea if the legend is true or not."

"So . . . does she fall to evil?"

"Usually."

A low, cold laugh echoed around us, startling all of us so much that I even forgot and reached for my lightsaber.

A woman, tall and graceful, stepped into the light. She wore robes of startling white color, robes that made even the silver-gray mist of the Force seem dull by comparison, and made her ice-pale skin seem even paler, to the point where she could have passed as a Force-ghost or an ice statue or a mirage out of a daydream. Even if I squinted and brought all of my power to bear, she seemed to slip away from my attempts, and fade and then reappear in my sight, as if she wasn't truly present or alive. Yet her hair and eyes were as dark as I remembered Drakale's clothing to have been when I had fought him in the netherworld of the Force, and filled with a cunning and power that chilled me to the core ten times more than Drakale ever had.

Another figure shuffled into the light beside her – Darth Sidious, restored to his youth, looking just as Senator Palpatine had, without a wrinkle in sight. Yet his yellow eyes remained, a warning to us as to his true allegiance.

And the White Lady lifted her chin, and smiled, and said, "Really, do the Walkers still believe that silly tale about me?"


	50. Chapter 47

**_Chapter Forty-Seven_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
The Force screamed in my ears, and for the first time, I actually flinched. It was true that whenever Kya was in danger my danger sense would go haywire, but I had never felt it so powerfully. The Force was already flooding my body with adrenaline and power, sharpening my senses and reflexes, and making it increasingly harder for me to keep myself civil and impassive as the lady pranced forward.

Kya crossed her arms. "White Lady." Her tone was flat. "What are you doing here?"

The lady checked only a few feet from us, her dark eyes gleaming with an emotion I couldn't quite guess. "Why, sister," she said, her voice oily smooth as her eyes flitted over us, "what kind of greeting is that?"

Kya's eyes narrowed, and even Anakin stiffened.

"A Walker who has defied her calling is no sister of mine," Kya said. "Especially not when you place in danger the children of my brother."

The White Lady scoffed, taking a step closer. "He is my brother too, sister," she murmured.

"You forfeited that right when you chose to bear the new moon and the lightning bolt," Kya snapped, sounding uncharacteristically angry. Her sapphire eyes were aflame with anger, as though the White Lady's very presence antagonized her. The Force trembled around her, and I could feel my side of the bond starting to react.

_This is . . . unnatural. . ._

I had never seen Kya get so worked up, unless . . .

Without even thinking about it, I placed a hand on her shoulder. Kya stiffened momentarily, and then relaxed, and the anger drained as rapidly as it had appeared. She seemed to return to normal, blinking as though surprised, and I knew my suspicions were correct.

I pulled Kya closer to me and, for the first time, met the White Lady's gaze squarely. Her dark eyes were like a splash of ice against my skin, and I shivered.

_She is strong, stronger than I thought_, I realized. _I will have to read very carefully around her._

"You should know better than to meddle with the emotions of a Walker whilst her mate stands beside her," I warned the White Lady, and her eyes widened a fraction of an inch. "By endangering her, you provoke me – and as you have drawn Kya into the conflict, I have full rights to intercede. Do you really wish to bring down upon yourself that kind of fate?"

She hissed, and drew back a quick little step, as if surprised. For the first moment, doubt colored her fair face, and she looked at me as though I was the dejarik piece she had never expected to entire the play. And I knew exactly why – together, a Walker and mate were almost unstoppable, even against another Walker. But the White Lady had never had a mate; she had chosen the dark side, and so chosen instead a Sith Master she must have slain when she learned all she could. The more she hurt Kya, the stronger I would become, so I could protect Kya.

But then Darth Sidious stepped to the White Lady's side, grinning, and her confidence returned.

I stiffened. Fighting Sidious was _not_ on my list of things to do.

Or, rather, things I wanted to do.

Especially since there was only one person here who could take him out without causing a whole other round of problems to happen.

Anakin stepped to Kya's side. "Kya? Are you all right?" he murmured.

Before she could respond, the White Lady let out a snort that sounded almost musical. "Why do you support her, brother?" she called. "She can't give you what you want, can she?" The White Lady smirked as she crossed her arms. "She won't break the rules."

Anakin blinked in confusion. "What rules?"

The White Lady stared.

And then she was laughing – coldly and cruelly, and I was already reaching for the lightsaber at my hip, knowing despite myself that this meant trouble.

"So he knows nothing, sister?" she said, throwing a cruel, teasing glance at Kya. "Nothing at all. How like you, sister dearest . . . how like you. Ask the boy to do something and yet tell him absolutely . . . nothing." She paced elegantly, gracefully, her eyes large and gleaming, like a cat plotting to snatch its next meal right under the beak of the mother. "Does he know the truth, sister? Or did you ensure that he'll never know – and after this, never remember?"

Kya scowled even as her impassiveness faltered. "What are you talking about?"

The White Lady's eyes gleamed with something that made me open my mouth to warn Kya –

And then lightning flashed from the palms of the White Lady, driving straight towards us, and I gathered the Force to me even as I shoved Kya away from me and threw myself back. The White Lady started laughing, almost manically, and lightning spat again, zooming so close that it signed the sleeve of my tunic.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Anakin fumble for his lightsaber, but it wouldn't ignite; he had no choice but to dive frantically away as more lightning sparked.

I rolled to my feet and grasped for my own lightsaber –

And then suddenly I was choking, all the air driven out of me by a single, well-placed blow that sent me stumbling backwards – and then Sidious was there, teeth bared, eyes lit by a fierce madness, and his red blade was driving straight for my heart.

I barely managed to block it in time.

He was suddenly strong again, much faster and better than the old man he had been, and with each blow I felt myself weaken as he grew stronger, feeding off my fear and despair and anger as I struggled to gather myself enough to mount a suitable defense –

Then pain flashed through my brain, and it was all I could to twist desperately away as my danger sense flared to life and Kya –

Kya was in danger.

And I couldn't do anything to help her.

~ _Anakin Skywalker_ ~  
One moment, I was speaking to Kya and she was arguing with the strange woman and Darth Sidious – the next, we were all scurrying for cover as the woman sent streams of lightning after us. I fumbled for my lightsaber, but it didn't work; it wouldn't even ignite, and I had no choice but to run and dive and duck and roll and hope that the next bolt wouldn't connect with me.

Ben was faring little better. He was trying to duel Darth Sidious and avoid the woman's lightning strikes.

Even Kya was struggling to block or avoid the lightning, and her counters were feeble streams of mist that only made the woman wince and throw _more_ lightning at us.

And then one bolt connected.

Kya cried out, and the Force trembled as she fell, clutching desperately at her blackened thigh, and my nose was filled with the scent of burning cloth and flesh as she collapsed. All the air seemed to drain from my lungs, and fury filled me, fury greater than anything I had ever known.

Now my lightsaber ignited.

I ran straight towards the woman, using the Force to redirect her lightning, and attacked her with savage blows that made her step back and back and back.

Kya was my _sister_. How dare she attack her – how dare she try to attack a child of the Force – how _dare_ she . . .

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ben's face, twisted in an unrecognizable scowl of anger and rage, and his style was changing too, from the defensive moves of Soresu to the rapid, dangerous moves of more aggressive styles, and I knew that in his heart beat the same fury, and perhaps even more, because I had seen the love he bore for Kya, and to see her hurt. . .

Then the woman grinned.

I went flying backwards with a single blink of her eye, and then I was frozen, unable to move as she laughed.

Behind me, I saw Ben freeze too, and saw Sidious catch him a Force-choke.

And Kya – she was struggling to rise, but it wasn't enough –

And the woman stepped closer to me, and with a flick of her finger my lightsaber dropped from my hands and rolled away from me, and no matter what I did, I couldn't reach the Force to get it back.

She smiled. "Hello, brother," she said, her tone friendly and not the least bit out of breath. "Welcome to the netherworld of the Force. I am the White Lady. And I'm here to tell you what your sister didn't want to. You see, as a child of the Force, Kya and I have . . . special gifts. She can drain energy from you, if she wants, and use it any way she wishes. But me – " and here her dark eyes twinkled, as though sharing a secret " – I have an even better talent. I can . . . connect to people. I can do what I wish with them."

"As you're doing right now?" I spat furiously, struggling against the invisible bonds that bound me.

"Not even close," she said, her tone faintly reprimanding. "I have a much better use: raising those who have long past and giving them a new chance at life."

Silence rang through the room.

Kya stared at the White Lady. "That's impossible. Once someone has passed, they are gone; no Walker can raise them," she said.

_No!_

It was a guttural, instinctive response. For the first time, I _wanted_ Kya to be wrong – I wanted the White Lady to be right, to _win_ – because I knew exactly what she was offering to me, and I knew, in my heart of hearts, that I wouldn't have the strength to turn her down. If she could do it . . . if she could bring _Her_ back . . . if she could . . .

The White Lady snorted. "For you, sister, it is impossible. Not for me." And she turned to me, and said, "If you want it, of course."

Without even thinking about it, I said, "Padmé?"

She smiled, and suddenly she seemed remarkably kind, and I wondered how I'd ever found her cruel or strange. She was . . . beautiful. And kind and nice and everything good in the universe.

"If you want her, brother, then she can be yours again."

"But Kya said – "

The White Lady waved a dismissive hand. "She didn't tell you, brother, but there are ways of raising those who have passed. All of us can do it, can bend the Rules to bring about what we wish. We just have to have the strength and willingness to do so." She sniffed. "A willingness that my sister – useless to call her that, a weakling that she is – does not have. She doesn't wish to contradict fate. But I, dear brother, am not her. I will fight fate. And I will give you all that you desire most. All you have to do . . . is ask."

And I said, "Please."


	51. Chapter 48

**_Chapter Forty-Eight_**

**4 ABY**

~ _White Lady_ ~  
I surveyed the whole debacle and felt my nose wrinkle. Really, they were pitiful. Surely, my sister (I snorted at the idea that she could ever be related to me, really, she was _weak_) was trying her best, and I could feel the electricity in the air that was her own power fighting to protect her, but between her injury and the pounding Sidious was giving her mate, she was useless. And her mate – well, he was strong for a mortal. But against a true Walker, without my sister to give him power, he was still weaker and impossibly outmatched.

And my brother . . . well, half-brother, really – still had accepted who he was.

Still was blinded by mortality.

_Well, I'll change that soon enough._

"Please what?" I asked coyly, toying with him and wondering if he would notice.

My sister noticed. Her eyes flashed, and she reached a hand towards him – and I felt my control over his limbs shatter and he fell at the floor. I smiled. I knew she hadn't intended it, but he was completely not expecting the release, and so could only fall on his knees . . . practically kissing the floor at my feet.

"Let him go, White Lady," my sister demanded. "If you intend to trick him, fight him as an equal."

"Of course, sister," I acquiesced mockingly.

A casual flick of my hand, and her mate left the hands of Sidious to slam against a wall of mist. Sidious grinned and joined me even as my sister flew to her mate's side and he pulled her close, already whispering something in her ear.

I turned my attention away from the two. They couldn't do much damage to me, and my sister knew that only the Chosen One could strike at Sidious.

For now, I was in control.

"Give me Padmé," Anakin said.

I crossed my arms and tapped a thoughtful finger against my lips, pretending to think about it. "Oh? And what will you give me in return, brother?" I asked sweetly. "It's a life for a life, you know. Or, rather, a gift for a gift. I can give you your wife – but what can you give me?"

He eyed me calmly, resolutely, like he was ready to die so that she could live. "Anything," he whispered.

I felt a wide grin crease my lips. "Excellent," I hissed.

I raised my hands, and gathered every bit of power I had to me. Sidious flinched as I drew from him living energy, and fell to his knees, gasping. He had played his role well enough; I didn't need him any more.

And from the corner of my eye, the mist shimmered and gathered, coalescing slowly into . . . legs, torso, arms, a head –

The long-dead form of Padmé Amidala.

Anakin gaped at her, stumbling towards her, suddenly much, much younger than his forty-some years, hands stretched out pleadingly.

I wove the spell thickly, bringing out the lush brown hair that tumbled down the spirit's back and the warm chocolate eyes that smiled at Anakin and the beauty of the flowers and silk that adorn her form as the mist circled her. _Only a little farther_, I thought, holding the spell with everything I had. _Only a little farther, little brother, and this is ended._

"Padmé?"

Anakin's voice was scratchy and tear-filled as he reached for her – and then he seemed to remember something. His face tightened, and he turned back to me, defiant. "How did you do this? No one can raise the dead."

I pretended to be bored by the question even as my mind strained to accommodate the memories I plucked from his mind.

"Anything is possible, little brother, when you set your mind to it," I told him. "We are the children of the Force. The Force is ours to do with as we see fit – and if you want your wife, then you shall have her." I nodded to the beautiful spirit of mist as a siren song echoed in the chamber, and Anakin's eyes grew sleepy and dull. "Go on, little brother. She is yours."

Yet still he resisted.

I sighed, and wove a siren song stronger into the chamber, making it echo and bounce around the mist, blinding him, one by one, to everything but the beautiful memory of the woman he loved.

_One last memory . . ._

The premonition of her death, I realized as I fumbled through it.

And then –

The spirit cried out, as if in pain, and Anakin jumped as if shocked by an electric bolt. He whirled to face her as she cringed, beautiful face contorted in pain and anguish and longing, and her eyes fixed pleadingly on his.

"_Anakin, save me!_"

Her voice was the echo of his dream, but he didn't notice. It was just a wisp of a whisper, but he didn't realize that either.

He didn't know that no one, literally _no one_ could raise the truly dead, and Padmé Amidala was one of them. He didn't know that she would never walk the earth again without a true trade of a life for a life. He didn't know that to save her, he would have to die – and I had no intention of bringing back a mere mortal through his sacrifice.

No, there was someone else, someone much better, whom I intended to raise.

I flicked my finger in the direction of the Emperor, and he rose, pained and hurting, unable to do anything but obey me. He had thought he could control me to gain what he wanted. He didn't realize just how weak he was compared to a true daughter of the Force.

I controlled him, now and forever.

"The White Lady can return her to you," he urged. "Just give her your pledge – and your strength."

"Padmé . . ." Anakin whispered, reaching for her.

With each centimeter his fingers travelled as he moved towards her, his eyes widened – and began to turn lighter and lighter until they were almost completely white, even the pupils. The air shimmered uneasily about him, and shadowy grey mist curled about him, encasing his legs and torso and arms, trapping him in the loop of siren song and the beautiful, searing image of the woman he had never stopped loving.

I had him.

I turned my attention back to my sister, leaving Sidious to urge Anakin to continue walking into the trap. Once he had melded with the spirit entirely, it would drain him of energy – and he would become the sacrificed life I would use to open the gateway into the void, calling back not Amidala, but someone else.

She was staring in frozen horror even as her mate shielded her.

"Stop!" she cried, one hand reaching for Anakin.

But it was too late.

I batted away her power as easily as anything, and instead focused my power on her mate. He stiffened, frantically trying to block me from his mind, but I was far stronger than he would ever be.

_Kill Sidious._

If he did, I would be even better off.

He fought, but even as he did, I saw his hand go for the lightsaber at his belt, and I smiled. _Everything is going exactly as I planned._ I turned away. He would kill Sidious, and that would leave my sister powerless and in pain as her mission failed. I needed nothing more of them.

"Obi-Wan, no!"

I whirled at the shout, just in time to see my sister's mate hurl a lightsaber straight at me.

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
"Ben – "

I reached for him even as I ensured that Sidious left us alone, and his head snapped up as he saw me. His eyes flashed with anger as he comprehended the poison eating into my flesh, and he bent over me, hand shaking as he neutralized it.

I sighed in relief as he pulled me against his chest, pressing myself against him.

"Kya – what is – who – what is she _doing_?" he demanded, turning as he spoke to survey whatever persuasion the White Lady was working on Anakin.

I winced. With every step the boy took, I felt the life drain away from me. "She's working her own power too well," was all I could say.

"What's that?"

"Glamour. Illusions. Her ability to trick someone, to fool someone, to persuade someone is . . . unmatched." I sighed. "She fooled all of us into thinking that we were alone. And now she's baiting Anakin into trading his life to get one life back from the void. It's something that supposed to be the only way to bring someone back from the dead. As far as I know, it's . . . it's never worked before. Not properly anyways. The Force can cause tricky things to happen when one tries to fight its will, especially when it is its own children that try."

Ben lifted me gently to my feet. "What can we do?" he asked.

"Me? Nothing. I cannot strike at her directly – children of the Force are forbidden from landing direct blows upon each other." I touched his cheek, sensing his desire to rip the White Lady apart and knowing that he couldn't. "And you don't have the strength. Even as my mate you cannot match a true Walker in power. Even if I'm in danger, which I'm not."

"If you cannot hurt her, why can she hurt you?" he demanded, gesturing towards my leg.

I smiled tightly. "Because she's more than just my sister. And any wound the Force inflicts on her she ignores."

Ben's jaw tightened as he surveyed the scene – Anakin, walking blindly, sleepily, ignorantly, towards the veil of mist that would tear his soul from his body to create a new host body for whatever spirit the White Lady would summon; Sidious, weakening but unable to disobey the White Lady as she drained his energy, urging Anakin on step by step and turning ever paler as he did; and the White Lady herself, laughing wildly as she deflected any of my attempts to pull Anakin back or contact him or do practically anything.

"I have to do it."

I stared at him as he reached for his lightsaber – and then I realized what he meant. "No!" I pushed away his hand. "I can't kill Sidious; I'm just a Walker. Only Anakin can. If you kill him – "

"I have no choice!" Ben's face was wild, and for the first time I felt fear; I had never seen him like this. "He's killing you!"

I looked across the room, and the White Lady smiled viciously – and I knew what she had done to my mate.

"Obi-Wan, no!"

I grabbed for him, but it was too late – Ben activated his lightsaber, dodged my weak attempt to seize it from him, and threw it with deadly aim straight at Anakin Skywalker.


	52. Chapter 49

A/N: Wow, it's been a . . . long time. I'm sorry for everyone who's been waiting. In my defense, between Hurricane Irene and school starting . . . yeah, never mind. Here's the chapter. We're almost done with Another Future; just a few more chapters.

* * *

**_Chapter Forty-Nine_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Anakin Skywalker_ ~  
The Force sang with danger, liquid and pure, and without even thinking about it, I jerked backwards, trusting the instinct that had saved my life so many times over. And I was just in time – a lightsaber whirled right past me, inches from my chest. If I hadn't moved, it would have sliced off my arms.

But apparently, Ben had counted on that split-second reaction.

The lightsaber slammed into Padmé.

For a second, she stared at me, brown eyes wide and startled. Then she pitched forward with the faintest of moans and collapsed on the ground, the blue lightsaber deactivating and rolling away.

With a roar of anger, I whirled on Ben.

His hands flew to his neck, and his eyes grew wide as he fought against his closing throat. The Force slowed to a trickle around him as his lungs pushed for air he couldn't take in. And yet, at the same time, I could tell that he wasn't the least bit alarmed. His danger sense should have had the Force driving straight at me – but somehow, for some reason, he was holding back.

And then I realized why.

Kya's mind slammed against mine with the combined power of her and Ben, and it blew past my shields like they weren't even there.

_Look!_ she commanded, her voice ringing with the double power. _Look, my brother, look for yourself!_

And despite the fact that every cell in my body raged for revenge for Padmé's death when I had nearly had her once again in my arms, I turned my head and looked.

My jaw dropped.

It wasn't Padmé that lay there.

It was simply a young corpse, a girl of perhaps fourteen years old or so, and she had been dead for quite some time. Blood glittered at her wrists and ankles and throat, and her face was twisted in a grimace of fear and pain and helplessness. The Force whispered of darkness around her, and death and rituals and secrets that were better left alone. Without even thinking about it, I took a step back in revulsion.

And then Kya was at the girl's side, on her knees, fingers touching the girl's throat delicately.

I blinked, and then Ben was there too, his lightsaber already back in his hand, and one hand laid comfortingly on Kya's shoulder.

She closed her eyes and sighed. "We were far too late. . ." She gave a sharp flick of her wrist, and the corpse seemed to sigh, the face relaxing, and bit by bit the body faded away and vanished. "Rest in peace, sister," Kya whispered.

And she rose and turned to me, and said, "It's over, Anakin."

I let out a sigh of relief.

Far too soon.

A scream of thwarted dreams and terrible power and raging fury exploded behind us, and we were all sent whirling backwards, tumbling head over heels, powerless despite every advantage we had. The White Lady eyed us with a wild-eyed fury that seemed better suited to a ravenous gutkurr than a human being, but there was something . . . else . . . there. Not quite just fury; there was an air of . . . failure, of broken dreams, of . . . _hurt_, deep and genuine hurt.

"How _dare_ you?" she screeched.

Ben staggered at Kya's side, hands going immediately to his ears, and I understood; it was the kind of scream that sounded like a krayt dragon on the prowl.

And suddenly the White Lady didn't look kind or nice or even somewhat sympathetic to my plight and loss of my love; she looked now like she was perfectly willing to rip me apart piece by piece.

Funny how I had never noticed that until now.

And then Darth Sidious is in my face, red lightsaber extended and glowing, nearly punching a neat, burning hole in my chest –

Except Ben was there, his blade forcing Sidious's away –

I pulled out my own, and then we were allies again, fighting so smoothly and in rhythm that for the first time my heart for the easy, smooth comradeship that we displayed now, and that I had once had with my old Master . . . before the war, and the purge, and everything else that had happened since then and now.

And Kya was a flickering form of silver light, clashing against the twisted, raging darkness that was the White Lady.

Unmovable light.

Unstoppable darkness.

Winner take all.

_Well_, I thought vaguely, parrying a blow inches from my nose, _something has to give._

Yet nothing seemed ready. Ben was an extraordinary fighter, and even though I hadn't fought a proper duel in years, I could pick up very easily on his rhythm, and in any case my own powers gave me a good advantage of the aged Darth Sidious. And Kya was strengthened by Ben's presence and the swell of the Force around her – this was her _home_, after all – and she was quite powerful for a Walker to begin with. Against any other opponent, it would not have even been a question as to who would emerge the victor.

But now . . . now I wasn't so sure.

And neither was my sister. Her sapphire eyes were sharpened by determination and power, but there was something desperate to the way she fought, and even Ben – even Ben was desperate.

The White Lady grinned.

We were losing.

Abruptly, I was furious. Beyond furious, actually. We had worked so hard and everyone had suffered so much – we were _not_ going to fail now, of all times. We could _not_ lose. Even if the will of the Force dictated it. Because I had fought the will of the Force, and it had been a contest that drained me, but I had won.

Like I would win now.

Without even thinking about it, I felt the _click_ of acceptance. I was the Chosen One. The Force _would_ obey me. And it would do so because I was a child of the Force.

Suddenly the Force poured into me, burning and freezing, flooding me with power that electrified every cell from head to toe, and the world shimmered in beautiful lights and strings and _power_. It was the birthright of the Chosen One, I knew instinctively, just as I knew every detail about every second that passed by in the present and every minute movement that Sidious was about to make in the future. I was _one_ with the Force, and it was my destiny to bring back the balance.

In one smooth motion, I leapt forward, diving at Sidious.

He flinched.

With one quick motion, he was tripping over his own dark robe, and he fell straight into the whirling portal that the White Lady had nearly tricked me into entering.

The portal flashed with blinding light – and then he was gone.

The entire place seemed to tilt, dizzyingly, upside down and right side up, and I staggered, even as I reached out with the Force and knew that I wasn't moving at all. But something had been upset in the balance of the Force, something major, and even the White Lady was blinking dazedly in confusion.

Then Kya slipped in front of me. "It's over," she said quietly, but her words rang throughout the netherworld of the Force, echoing over and over and over again, filled with a power that I knew I would never be able to match. Of course, it didn't matter – she was my sister, and we were equals. We were forbidden to hurt each and I had no reason to hurt her. She had saved me.

The White Lady glared at us, fists clenched, eyes burning.

"You can't touch him," Kya murmured as Ben moved to her side, instantly alert. "He is a child of the Force. Congratulations, sister; you taught him how to accept himself."

"A weakling like _you_ is no sister of mine," the White Lady hissed.

Kya smiled sadly. "I suppose that always was your greatest weakness, wasn't it? You can't see anything but strength and weakness. Perhaps if you had, things would not have gone through this way."

The White Lady threw back her head and laughed.

I froze. Chills raced up my spine. She sounded utterly, completely demented, even more than some of the Dark Acolytes insane with the dark side that I had fought.

Then Kya's words sank in.

"Wait – she's a child of the Force too?" I demanded.

Kya's eyes slid to me, and she looked surprised. "You can't feel it? Well . . . it doesn't matter. She's not anymore."

The White Lady tilted her head, and her eyes carried that same determined madness that made me shiver and Ben tense. She looked like a child who'd lost everything and had had everything burned out of her except rage and hatred, and had no instinct but to _act_ on that instinctual rage and hatred. And, unfortunately, it seemed like we were the only people around that she could vent her feeling onto, and since we could not hurt, I couldn't think of any way that we could really stop her.

Unless Ben killed her. . .

But no. Kya had said that as her mate, Ben had the responsibilities but not quite the same rights as children of the Force. And in any case, he wouldn't be powerful enough to take down the White Lady unless Kya was on the verge of death and that . . . was not a good option.

"So . . . what's plan B?" I asked lightly.

"I think – " Kya began.

"Too late for that, Walker," the White Lady hissed – and then she was diving straight at us, lightning crackling from her fingers.

We all dove aside, only to realize that attacking us hadn't been her intention.

The portal erupted into a brilliant cascade of sparkling lights as the Force trembled with power like a tsunami, and I flinched back, throwing up my hands to shield my eyes even as I knew that it would do no good in defending my mind against the barrage of power that was being tossed against it. Out of the corner of my eye, Ben and Kya weren't faring much better, Kya staggering under the mental assault as Ben fell to his knees, clutching at his head.

And then it was over.

The portal winked out of existence, and we were alone.

Kya gave a long sigh and leaned against Ben, who bent to kiss her head almost automatically as he stowed his lightsaber away. And for a moment, I felt a surge of envy; she had what I wanted most – the wisdom to cherish the one she loved.

"Time to leave," Ben prompted gently. "I think our work is done here. We should return home soon."

Kya nodded, almost dreamily, against his chest, and murmured something faintly.

And just like that, the world was tipping upside down and then right side up and then upside down again, and I blinked and stumbled to the ground, falling so rapidly into unconsciousness that for a moment I feared that we were being attacked again.

I sat straight up and gasped for breath as Luke and Leia rushed to hug me, and from the corner of my eye I saw Ben stand, shakily, from his bed and wrap his arms around Kya.

"You did it, Father, you did it!" Luke was cheering. And Leia – Leia was actually _smiling_ and _hugging_ me.

It felt amazing.

It felt like . . . home.


	53. Chapter 50

**_Chapter Fifty_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~  
"And so the Emperor is dead?"

For a flicker of a second, I wanted to grab the man and shake him by the throat until he stopped repeating the same blasted questions. This session had been supposed to last no more than half an hour or so; it was now already on its fourth hour, and almost everyone but the interrogators were drooping. Even Kya was starting to lose interest, her eyes closing for longer and longer periods between listening to and answering the questions.

I supposed that I shouldn't have been surprised.

We had pretty much stolen an Imperial shuttle and fought our way to the Death Star, and after an hour had entered radio silence, and only after fifteen hours had contacted the Alliance again to tell them to get a move on – after all, time did really pass differently in the netherworld of the Force. After that, Luke and Leia had headed down to Endor to bring back-up to Lando, who had been surprised by battalion after battalion of Imperial troops thanks to the Emperor's foresight, while Anakin and I had jumped into starfighters to lead the attack on the Death Star as Kya remained in the planning center as the conduit for the battle meld.

All in all, almost an entire day of drawing on our abilities without a single moment of rest.

At least everything had been a success.

But Kya was still exhausted. I could feel in our bond, which meant she was too tired to hide it, which meant that she was about ready to collapse. The fight, almost so evenly matched, with the White Lady had drained her more than she was willing to admit.

So I cleared my throat. "Yes, he is."

Yet the general – I couldn't remember his name – seemed still completely skeptical, even though Mon Mothma seemed to take us at our word. "Yet you also admit that he nearly beat _all_ of you? How can you be so sure that he wasn't . . . well, using some of your own tricks against you?" he prodded.

Anakin barely kept from rolling his eyes. "If you're suggesting that one Force-sensitive's trick can fool five Force-sensitives who use the same trick themselves," he said dryly, "then this whole session is useless."

The general at least had the grace to look slightly caught. But he rallied at once.

"Yet it is possible that he _could_ – "

"Could what? Hold an illusion, stop breathing, stop _moving_ while all of us watched his body disintegrate? Do you _really_ think that we're that incompetent?"

Anakin's words were a tad more sarcastic than they needed to be, and I could sense how hard it was for him to not lace the words with a potent Force-suggestion of "_You're an idiot_". Yet he kept himself under control, somehow, and I offered a silent nod of acknowledgement; he was learning, praise the Force, and that meant that soon enough he would be able to be privy to the secrets that I knew Kya still had not yet shared with him as a child of a Force.

_He's almost ready, yes_, Kya murmured sleepily.

I brushed the back of her hand. _You need sleep. I can feel your exhaustion almost more than my own._

First there was a pause as my words registered, and then Kya pulled away from me, closing down on herself to block the exhaustion as much as she could.

_Sorry._

_It's all right. We all need sleep._

" – disintegrate?" Admiral Ackbar was repeating when I returned my attention to the conversation. "What do you mean by that?"

Anakin groaned and slumped backwards. "I mean he's _dead_. Dead, dead, _dead_. How many other ways can we say it?"

The generals didn't look the least bit convinced.

I sighed. _This is going to take all day, isn't it?_ I asked forlornly.

_Not if I can help it._

Then Kya pulled away from me, casting out her mental net to the generals to sense their thoughts. Normally, I could only get general emotions without a direct mental connection – but that kind of barrier never held a child of the Force back, of course.

One of the generals cleared his throat. "Perhaps if you would care to explain your individual observations . . .?"

Kya's eyes narrowed, and she leaned forward. She had coached Anakin and Luke and Leia on the cover story, firmly reminding them that children of the Force could not be known about, and so we were to lie and go with the normal route that Sidious usually died: disintegration via the Death Star's nuclear reactor.

"He fell into the nuclear reactor," she said shortly, ignoring the widening of eyes and muffled gasps. "If that didn't disintegrate him, I don't know what will. How many more times are you going to ask about it, generals? I'm afraid that my story isn't going to change."

The generals exchanged a strange look, and I tensed.

"Kya Ranor," one of the generals said carefully, "would you mind explaining your connection to the Ranors of Alderaan?"

Kya's eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter, and I felt her momentary burst of surprise. Even Anakin turned to look at the general in surprise as Luke and Leia merely looked tired and confused and uncaring.

Then she laughed. "_That_ is what is bothering you?" she murmured, laughing. "Ah. . . I've forgotten how paranoid the Alliance can be."

The command council shifted uneasily. No doubt laughter had been the _last_ thing they had expected to hear from Kya, and I relaxed somewhat. If Kya was laughing, then she had probably already planned a way out of this mess – that, or she had touched the generals' minds and knew exactly why they were suspicious.

_Apparently the house of Ranor has fallen to corruption_, Kya informed me. _More gamblers and conmen than Jedi, so they think that I am faking being a Jedi._

I wasn't able to stop the faintest bit of surprise. _How is that even possible?_

To fake being a Jedi, one would have to be Force-sensitive, and that raised a whole lot of issues; and Anakin and Luke were trained too, and they would have seen the difference – because there _was_ a difference – between an untrained and a trained Force-sensitive.

_It is_, Kya told me absently. _Just not very easily._

_I'll bet._

Kya leaned forward, her sapphire eyes sparkling with amusement as she pushed her sleepiness away, perfectly willing to tease the generals. "I was born before the Naboo Crisis, generals," she said, amusement clear in her tone, "and long before the house of Ranor fell into such ruin. As to being a real Jedi, why, do you not trust Commander Skywalker? But before even that – while I was being trained as a Jedi during the Clone Wars, my Master was one of the first casualties of the war – perhaps you heard of him? – and his name was Kyle Katarn."

Mon Mothma started, as did Admiral Ackbar.

_They know?_

Kya's thoughts turned slightly dark. _His death was . . . very publicized. Most Jedi don't die on missions unless they're old and ill. . . . . . . Or so we all thought._

I touched her shoulder, gently, pushing her away from the dark thoughts. _Don't dwell on it._ I didn't say it in words; the bond went deeper than conscious communication. Instead it was a mix of emotions and pictures and whatever I could send.

She got it anyways.

Mon Mothma looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I'm very sorry to have questioned you, Jedi Ranor," she said formally. "I remember – "

Kya held up a firm hand. "Please, let's not discuss it. It was many years ago."

And then all of us winced.

A wave of _fearpainangerfear_gleeinsanitylaughter_fear_ ripped through us all, and even Leia looked ready to retch. Kya twisted away from my hands, her eyes blank, her screams locked behind her snarling mouth and Anakin grabbed his head as though wanting to rip it off.

Kya was out of her seat before I had even considered what was going on, and her mental shockwave made everyone stumble in its wake – she was going for power, not finesse.

Anakin leaped towards the generals, forcing them to duck under the tables, and Luke and Leia moved to the communications, Leia barking off orders as Luke shielded her from attack. I moved to flank Anakin as Kya continued her mental assault.

Then she cursed.

"Ben – it's – this is _impossible_ – "

"_What is it?_" I demanded harshly, mentally and physically communicating my need to know what was going on.

"It's Sidious!"

Then the door exploded.

We all were sent staggering back, with Anakin moving straight to his children as I leapt in front of Kya, not quite processing what she had said.

And then Sidious was standing before us, yellow eyes wide and hideous, grinning impossibly wide.

And I thought, _What in the _kriff_ is going on?_


	54. Chapter 51

A/N: I'm stretching it a bit here, but I know that in one of the story arcs Palpatine lives through his death at the Death Star. Explanations will come along in due time.

* * *

**_Chapter Fifty-One_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Anakin Skywalker_ ~  
I stared at the door, not understanding what I was seeing. This was . . . impossible. Completely impossible. I had _seen_ him fall into the portal – I had felt the portal crush his life force – I had _felt_ him _die_ –

Then the impossibility multiplied.

Darth Sidious stepped into the room – and then he was followed by another Darth Sidious, and another, and another, and another, until six clones of Darth Sidious stared at us with hungry leers and hideous yellow eyes and blood running down their fingers and robes. They looked all exactly identical – and so much _younger_, somehow, than the aged clone that the White Lady had forced us to fight.

Which probably meant they were stronger, faster, and better.

_Excellent._

Then the mouths of the clones moved. "Hello again, Jedi." They spoke as one, and if there was _anything_ that could unnerve me more than the sight of six Dark Lords, it was how they spoke in unison. They were like robots – no, worse than robots. Like . . . dead corpses reanimated.

Then Kya snarled, like a cornered animal, and her eyes flashed as fury gathered around her like moths like a light.

All too often, I reflected, I forgot just how powerful my sister truly was.

The clones didn't seem perturbed at all.

They just reached down and ignited lightsabers of their own.

Confusion flickered through Kya's eyes, and Ben leaned forward almost unconsciously in response, trying to gauge the threat to her. The clones merely offered a wider and – if it was possible – creepier grin. I felt the Force gather around us Kya tried to sense something about the clones, or perhaps tried to kill them without any more fights to exhaust us even more, but something told me it wouldn't work.

Then Kya was reeling backwards, the Force rippling in shock, and Ben flinched.

The clones laughed, and attacked.

I dodged one blade, parried another, and ended up nearly slicing my own nose off. The blur of red blades was endless, as three clones had apparently decided to attach themselves to me and do their very best to finish me off.

It wasn't pretty.

Luke wasn't faring much better with his own clone, and neither were Kya and Ben. The clones were almost _everywhere_, and fighting one meant nearly getting killed by another.

It was almost . . . hopeless.

_Maybe I should stop fighting. Play dead. See what happens_, I thought idly. _Surely they would want to try and convert me again?_

I glanced over at Luke. His face was twisted in concentration, but his blade was slowing, and he was countering things more through luck and sheer last-minute reflexes than anything else, and he most certainly was not trying to get the upper hand.

Yet Ben . . . and Kya . . .

They were fighting furiously, with Kya exerting her full strength in the Force to slow the clones as Ben employed his superior knowledge of the lightsaber forms. They were perfectly matched, and it showed – every defense was an opening for an attack, and every attack left plenty of room for defense. They certainly were _not_ going to let the upper hand out of their sight.

_But they will be killed_, a part of me reminded me. _They know that. You would be spared; you're the Chosen One._

_Just stop fighting._

_Stop fighting._

_Stop . . . fighting. . ._

And my blade lowered, and my eyes flickered closed, and –

Lightning flared nearby, and suddenly Kya came out of nowhere to parry the thrust that would have burned a nice round hole in my heart. She slammed into me so hard that I went flying into the situations table and smacked my head hard enough to see stars.

And just like that, the spell was lifted.

I shook myself, calling up my shields to protect myself from the insidious whispering of the Force around the clones. Not far away, Ben was currently in the middle of kicking Luke very hard in the shin – and then Luke was straightening abruptly, eyes clearing and taking a deep breath of air.

_Enough of this_, some part of me decided.

I reached for my sister, and through her Ben, and I realized for my son and daughter. I felt the Force expand, felt it grow and grow and grow until it encompassed everything from the smallest atom to the lightsabers sizzling in our hands – and my head was clear, perfectly clear, and I was Ben as he lashed out at a clone and Kya as she shoved another away with the Force and Luke as he ducked under a blow and sent the clone tumbling back with a well placed shove and Leia as she fired, with unerring accuracy, straight at the clones' heads. And as Kya and Ben and Luke and Leia reached out to me, in turn, I felt the meld grow until defeating the clones seemed like child's play.

In the distance, something raged as I plunged my blade into the heart of the last clone.

~ _Ben Kenobi_ ~

Kya leaned against me as I reached out to her, knowing instinctively that she was disturbed by the appearance of the clones and how strong they had been. Meanwhile, Anakin went immediately to Luke and Leia, ascertaining that they weren't hurt.

"Something's very wrong," she murmured uneasily. "I should have sensed them – we all should have – "

"We were tired," I interrupted, stowing my lightasber away.

"The Force should have warned us."

And that was the key problem. Luke and Leia and even I weren't as strong as Kya or Anakin – but we still should have felt _something_ from our danger sense, because if being surrounded and out-numbered by clones of the dead Emperor wasn't a danger I didn't know what _was_. And I should have felt it anyways, as it was a danger to Kya, and my main responsibility was to protect her above all else.

For now, though, I was ready to lay it aside and think about it at a more reasonable time.

Kya looked up at me, and her face softened. Clearly, she was ready to agree with me. _Perhaps you're right. I'm getting nowhere in my deliberations._

I kissed her head. _Sleep will help._

_I know._

Anakin walked over to us, fiddling with his lightsaber. "Do you have any idea what or how that happened?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Kya's getting nothing. And neither am I."

I left the implied message unsaid, knowing that he of all people would understand what that meant. Especially now, now that he had accepted his birthright as a son of the Force. And from the wrinkling of his brow, I knew that he did.

Kya sighed. "I can only guess as to what happened, Anakin. None of it leads to any good; it would take a powerful force to bring someone back like that. For one thing, it would need a sacrifice, and for another, it would require the work of a child of the Force." She winced at the memory of the White Lady. "But I should have felt that; there's not much that can conceal such dark work from me, even though I'm technically still an apprentice. . . I honestly don't know. But you've killed Sidious and conquered your own demons, Anakin, so you've brought balance to the Force here. Maybe that was it – maybe you just needed to do it _here_, instead of doing it in the netherworld. Maybe . . ."

I shot her a look. "Kya."

She blushed.

Anakin looked amused. "So, you _do_ get tired," he noted with glee. "I was beginning to think you were inexhaustible."

"Very funny."

I reached out to the Force, carefully dismantling the powerful bonds of the battle meld that Anakin had created. It wasn't easy, considering how closely bound we all were, what with the blood connection between Anakin and Luke and Leia and the Force connection between Kya and Anakin and the mate connection between Kya and me.

"Impressive for a beginner," I noted, neatly banishing his connection to me.

Anakin winced, and then reached out to cut down on his connection to Luke and Leia. "I didn't _mean_ to. I just . . . did."

Kya nodded. "I know. You'll find it happens more and more," she said ruefully. "The Force likes to guide its children. And usually _loves_ to do it so that you have no idea when or why. It's happened to me more than once."

"Don't we know it," I muttered, thinking about Winter and Aurora and how unexpected _that_ had been.

Kya made a face. "Don't go there."

It was still a bit of a sore topic, considering that Kya still missed Winter from time to time, mourning the dormant bond that her Lady Mother had quite effectively sealed to prevent her from contacting her. It didn't bother me as much, as I had only known and bonded with Aurora, but still . . . Winter was still our daughter. We still loved her and missed her, and it hurt to know that she would never know us.

"Go . . . where?" Then Anakin held up a hand and rubbed at his forehead. "No, never mind, I take that back, I don't want to know. You're mates. Can we settle with cleaning up the mess and getting to sleep?"


	55. Chapter 52

**_Chapter Fifty-Two_**

**4 ABY**

~ _Kya Ranor_ ~  
I woke abruptly without any idea why.

Once, I had been a very, very light sleeper – the faintest shift in a breeze would have me bolting upright and scanning for an attack. But years with Ben at my side to protect and reassure me had slowly lulled me back into the routine I had had before the war, when I was a regular sleeper who relied on the Force. Even now, Ben pulled me closer, sensing my distress without fully waking, shielding me with his own body.

I smiled and rested my head against his chest. In his arms, I was safe.

And yet there was this strange compulsion, again, to wake up, to rise, to _move_.

For a moment, I considered waking Ben – he would awake as soon as I moved away from him anyways, his senses always on high alert for any threat towards me.

But that was the catch.

If whatever was urging me to wake was dangerous to me, Ben would already be up and searching. And yet he wasn't. And I had never, ever met anything powerful enough to break Ben's ability to protect me, because when it all came down to it, there was almost nothing strong enough to challenge, truly challenge, a daughter of the Force without alerting her mate, because Ben and I were so closely tied that it was sometimes all too easy for us to just become one.

And the bond wasn't broken; it hummed gently in the back of my mind, as half-asleep as I was.

I frowned. Ben had had to coax me to sleep after we had gotten rid of the clone bodies and wiped the memories of the generals and fixed the security cams. It hadn't been an easy task for him, either; I was still antsy and nervous after being so easily attacked without an inkling of warning.

Yet, somehow, he'd managed anyways.

I pressed myself closer to Ben, feeling a soft touch of his mind against mind, a claim and an acknowledgement in one.

Then, also without knowing why, I found myself compelled to pull away from him, to roll out of the bed, and stand, and pull on my robe over my sleep clothes, and to walk, as if in a trance, down to the command center and stare out the open view into the streaking lines of blue and white that were the stars as we flew through hyperspace back to the Rebel base at Sullust.

But I wasn't alone.

My Lady Mother stood and smiled at me. "Hello, my daughter."

I stared. My Lady Mother had never once physically manifested in the real world, claiming that her power wasn't sufficient enough to do so. She had always communicated with me through the netherworld of the Force or, if it was urgent, through a Force-ghost of a long-dead Jedi she had once known. But never had she come, physically, to appear in the real world and speak to me out loud, not ever.

"Lady Mother . . . What – "

"It's a long story, my daughter, and I'm afraid we don't have that much time," she interrupted, shaking her head. "Suffice to say that this is the last time I shall appear to you so, most likely. You're almost ready."

"For what?"

She smiled, and gestured with an elegant flick of the wrist to where the sun and moon lay in her palms.

My breath caught. I was still an apprentice; the sun and moon that I had chosen to bear rested on the insides of my wrists, mostly out of sight unless I chose to let people see them. She had said that when I was ready, ready to take the initiation of a Walker and become part of that small and legendary order, the symbols would shift as they had shifted on her, and I would carry the marks on my palms for the rest of my life to show that I was a full Walker, just as my braid had been cut to showcase that I was a full Jedi Knight.

"But . . . I'm not . . . ready," I blurted out, feeling suddenly dizzy. "I can't be ready. I . . ."

My Lady Mother crossed her arms. "And why are you not?" she pressed. "You have set two universes to rights, my daughter. Only one more remains. Yet no apprentice can fulfill the prophecy of our order; to do so, you must and will be a full Walker."

She didn't say exactly what I knew we were both thinking.

A full Walker, and the last.

"So I will be the last?" I asked.

She inclined her head. "Unless the Force decides otherwise. Things may change, of course, when free will – true free will – is returned to us once more. Perhaps then the Force will decide that Walkers are needed anew, to work alongside our brothers and sisters and to help guide them, instead of simply keeping us forever apart. But I cannot predict what the outcome shall be. My duty was to train you, and then to be at peace. I shall play no further role in what will pass."

My breath caught in my throat again, and I froze. My Lady Mother rarely played much of a role in my adventures, but still . . . To know that someone was out there, offering advice, to teach you, someone to fall back upon – it was invaluable.

But after my initiation, I would have her no longer.

"I must stand on my own."

My Lady Mother embraced me, and her voice was soft. "My dearest child – we both know you are ready. You no longer need my advice to fall back upon. You handled the clones remarkably well, you know."

I drew back. "Wait. How _did_ that happen anyways?" I demanded. "I _felt_ him die, Lady Mother, we all did."

A dark look crossed her face. "The Force works in many ways, my child, but there are older enemies than the White Lady and the Dark Lord," was all she said.

I frowned slowly. I knew the legend of the White Lady and Dark Lord by heart, and I had recently fought the White Lady. I couldn't imagine the strength it would take to bring back someone who had passed into the void.

"You know of whom I speak."

Fear bloomed in me. "The – "

My Lady Mother cut me off with a sharp gesture. "No. Do not speak Its name, not here," she reprimanded me sharply. "Time will only tell what It means to do." She sighed. "For now, be content in knowing that you have done what you needed to do. If It crosses your path in the future . . . you will be ready."

"I hope so," I whispered.

I was the youngest Walker, the least inexperienced, the one with the training that had been the most rushed. I doubted I could stand against the greatest and most powerful of all our enemies even _with_ the backing of the Chosen One and my brothers and sisters – much less alone.

"You will not be alone, if it comes to that," my Lady Mother said gently.

"What do you mean?"

"Time will tell," she repeated firmly. "Now, I presume that you have said your good-byes already?"

"Well . . . I said good night . . ." I offered.

My Lady Mother closed her eyes. The Force thrummed around her, softly and sleepily, and then burst into the trails of lights and sounds and smells and touches and tastes that I usually only felt upon taking on the entirety of my power in the netherworld of the Force. But even so, I knew exactly what it meant.

I blinked, and sat bolt upright.

I was in a med wing, I supposed, from the harsh white walls and monitors and clean, crisp sheets. Ben was next to me, his face perfectly smooth, but even as I turned to him, he stirred and his eyes opened.

He frowned. "What . . .?"

I shrugged as he sat up, automatically leaning against him. "I have no idea," I said honestly. "But I think my Lady Mother sent us back."

Ben's eyes softened. "So, the second is complete," he said.

"Only one more to go," I muttered gloomily. "And they get harder every single time."

He kissed my forehead, detaching the cords tangled around us with a few flicks of his fingers. "We'll find a way," he promised. "It shouldn't be that bad. The Force will guide us." _And you will never be alone_, he vowed silently, holding me as close as he could.

"Mom! Dad!"

We both looked up just in time to see Aurora come tearing into the room, followed by an exasperated looking Tahl and an amused Qui-Gon. I opened my arms instinctively, and Aurora clambered onto the bed, seeming so very young, as she pressed herself into our embrace. The link between us hummed with power, and I touched the edges of her mind, reassuring her that we were safe, and she sighed and closed her eyes.

"Another adventure?" Qui-Gon said, raising an eyebrow at us.

Ben shrugged, releasing Aurora and me to lean against the wall. "You could say that. Why, how long were we out?" he asked curiously.

Tahl and Qui-Gon exchanged a quick look.

"Garen and Siri found your ship idling at Hoth," he explained finally. "Nothing we could do could wake you or even reach you. Even Aurora said that your links to her were completely dormant, and when we tried reaching you through her, we were flung back hard enough to nearly break the walls."

I frowned. I had never considered the kind of effect a dormant link could have on Aurora. But of course it would make her lash out instinctively to protect us, and by definition, herself.

And, of course, she had already felt a dormant link to me for many years when she was young, so she was very particular about remaining connected to Ben and me, no matter what was going on, and we indulged her, for the most part.

I hadn't yet the heart to lecture her too much about attachment.

"So it is done?" Tahl asked quietly. "For now?"

I looked up, and when I met her eyes, I _knew_ that she at least vaguely understood what was going on. Lady Elizabeth's possessing of her had left its traces, not all of them completely visible, but still. Her memories were still hers, and her power and her mind entirely her own, but she still could remember the power she had held when she was possessed by a Walker, and sometimes her strength in the Unifying Force was extraordinary.

"Yes," I answered simply.

Qui-Gon nodded firmly. "It's good that you're back," he said softly.

Aurora lifted her head, finally tuning back into the conversation after mentally reassuring herself that Ben and I weren't illusions. "So, can I go with you next time?" she asked curiously.

I sighed. "_No_, Aurora."

"But Mom . . ."

"Aurora."

And Ben laughed at me, and so did Qui-Gon and Tahl, and even though it was the beginning of yet another argument, I felt at home.


	56. Chapter 53

**_Chapter Fifty-Three_**

~ _?_ ~  
I watch, and I wait, and I ponder. The failure of the White Lady to fulfill her own plot does not surprise me; this young Walker is untrained and unskilled, but powerful in her own way. Her mate is ready to defend her to the death, and her ideals keep her moving long after, logically, she should have stopped fighting. She is gifted with a skilled tongue, at least, and her brother listens to her when he does listen.

And besides, it is not the first time my plans have gone astray.

But it will be the last.

True, the White Lady's plan failed, and so did the Black Lord's before her – but they were merely queen and king in a chess game that on a scale too grand for their mind to comprehend, a scale where they were really pawns.

They never saw it, of course.

But now their failures have left me with the perfect opening to close the checkmate.

Most of the pieces are in place. Everything, _everything_, rests on this girl. If she fails, she dies, and the Force will be ruined for the rest of time, because it will never recover from such a grievous failure.

She cannot fail.

And, at the same time, she cannot possibly succeed.

The darkness in the Force has taken millennium upon millennium to insert, and she cannot swipe it all away with a mere alteration of a Chosen One's choice.

The Chosen One. What a deception.

The Walker is, at least, a true child of the Force, untainted by mortals. The Chosen One is, supposedly, the best of mortals and the Force, but I know the truth: he is tainted by the mortals' weaknesses, and so will never, ever be as strong as that Walker could be if she knew what she was doing.

But she does not.

She cannot.

In all her years, no matter how long she lives and strives to work against me, she shall never comprehend me. And therein will lie her defeat.

She knows nothing about me.

And quite soon, she will be all alone, with no Lady Mother to warn her.

The time is ripe.

And soon the showdown shall commence, with all the greatest forces of light arrayed against I, the most powerful, the darkest, the greatest force that ever existed, so dark that even a black hole is consumed for its light when it shines upon me. She believes it is her only chance of defeating me, and restoring balance – and yet she also believes that we can "coexist", if she leaves me alone and I treat her the same.

Pity.

She has a thousand lifetimes of slights the Walkers have paid me to make up.

And I intend to take that payment from her.

Soon.


	57. Epilogue

A/N: This epilogue will follow a similar format to the epilogue of the prequel, Another Past. And, as a side note, I am now working on the sequel and final installment of the trilogy, which I am calling Another Present. It should be up sometime in November, with the best of luck.

* * *

**_Epilogue_**

I stand before the swirling pit of dark and light as the clouds dance around me and the mist teases at my forehead and power builds like a crescendo around me, and I know that one misstep here will result in a very embarrassing failure.

This is my initiation into the order of Walkers. It's quite unlike any other.

In the Jedi Order, one passes through the Jedi Trials sometimes without knowing that they _are_ Trials, and that the Council is watching. And once one has passed, one is summoned to the Council to stand within the ring of the twelve lightsabers, and to have the Padawan braid sliced from its roots, and to recite the pledge of a Jedi Knight, and to rise and depart from that chamber a full Jedi. It is short, and it is not much of a ceremony as it is a confirmation of the pledge one has kept every day by staying in the Order.

For a Walker, it is completely different.

There are vows to recite, and rituals to complete, and tests of mind and body and soul and heart that defy any kind of words to explain.

Yet they happen anyways.

These tests determine my initiation. Technically, I have passed the worst of them all, for two universes are now righted because of me. And my Lady Mother has taught me all I need to know, or so she says.

I am ready.

I think.

Ben touches my mind, swiftly and gently, reassuring. He cannot participate, not yet, but he can watch. And watch he does, overprotective that he is.

_I have plenty of reason to be overprotective_, he murmurs.

_I can handle myself_, I shoot back, mentally juggling the vows I'll need to say at the end of this, trying to use the Force without letting myself get lost in it. _I lived for sixteen years before you._

_And it's a miracle you survived_, he says dryly.

I sniffed. _If you're going to insult me, please leave me alone, Ben._

A laugh, and then the bond tapers off. He knows me as well as I know him, for we are soulmates bound together tighter than forever, and there is nothing I would not do to ensure that we stayed together forever. And I know that he would die before he would let something hurt me, no matter what. It's part of what keeps a Walker grounded in reality, and able to do what she or he was meant to do.

Ben is my link to sanity, to reality, to mortality. And he will always be my link, because if the link were ever cut . . .

Well.

I don't even want to _think_ about that.

I cross the gaps, feeling my way through, letting the Force guide me. It is easy, so easy, and then I emerge on the other side, with my Lady Mother standing across from me, dressed in her simple clothes.

And I blink.

My Lady Mother is accompanied by many other people.

Not as many as the Order, of course, but certainly many all the same. More than I ever could have dreamed was possible, with men and woman of all ages and species. Some stand close together, others far apart; some echo of power, others stay stubbornly silent – but even so, I know exactly who they are without even needing to be told.

I kneel, and wait.

"Brothers and sisters," my Lady Mother calls. "She stands before you a daughter of the Force, and she has done what has been asked."

A ripple of agreement passes through the long-dead Walkers.

One, in particular, a tall man with hair as white as son and eyes as piercing as a supernova, steps forward. "We hear you, sister, and we agree to witness," he intones blandly. "And to, if she is right, confer on her the rights of our Order."

My Lady Mother nods.

Then she turns to me. "Child, do you swear . . ."

And after that, it's a blur of oaths, swearing to defend my brothers and sisters, swearing to forever keep secret the knowledge I have been taught, swearing to always strive to follow the Force and its will, swearing to do what I must to keep the balance of the Force, swearing to do always what is right, swearing to never, ever betray my order.

They are my vows to keep, forever.

The man nods his consent.

"We agree and witness, do we not, brothers and sisters?" he says.

And that ripple of agreement happens again, as eyes – hundreds and hundreds of eyes – focus on me, the soon-to-be newest member of the order of Walkers. They judge me, silently, and I fear what they see in me.

Then Ben kneels beside me, and my Lady Mother puts him through his own vows – to defend me, to honor me, to never betray me, and whole host of other vows.

His voice is as steady as it was the day he married me.

My Lady Mother skirts away.

The man steps forward, and is followed by a woman with hair silver as the mist and eyes as gentle as rain. Yet they aren't really a man and a woman, and I can't tell how old they are – they seem at once old and young together, and their faces are wise and beautiful, and their forms are flickering containers of the Force. They, I know, are the first of the Walkers, and they will decide what must be done about me. And they are much, much, much more powerful than any Walker that ever was or ever shall be, like comparing an angel to a regular human. I am almost nothing next to them.

Yet, if they will deign so, they will embrace me, and call me sister.

They pose a series of questions to Ben, questions so faint that I cannot hear them, and I cannot hear his responses either.

But perhaps that is intended.

The woman notices my squirming, and smiles. "My dear child," she says, and her voice is as soft as a breeze, "what do you intend to do?"

For a moment, I can't think of an answer. There are so many things to which she could be referring – my husband, my daughter, my destiny, my Lady Mother – everything and anything under the sun. Yet as I meet her cool eyes, I suddenly know exactly what she is referring to, and I swallow hard.

"If the Force asks me to lay down my life in order to bring about balance," I state firmly, "then that is what I shall do."

The woman nods, and fades back into the crowd, indistinguishable again among the sea of faces and eyes and figures as they whisper and watch and judge.

"Are we agreed, brothers and sisters?"

For the first time, they speak.

"We are."

The man turns to me, satisfied. "What is the Force to you?" he asks.

My breath catches. Of all the questions. . . There is _nothing_ that can describe what the Force is to me. It is the air I breath, the water I drink, the food I eat, the daughter I cherish, the husband I love, the Order I follow – everything in my life that is anything, that is the Force, and that is what the Force means to me. No words could ever begin to describe it. Not ever. I could live forever and still never quite amass the language that could describe what the Force means to me, not even if I mastered every single tongue that ever was.

"It's everything," I stutter finally.

The man eyes me.

_I think I just said the wrong answer_, I think, and my heart sinks.

The crowd disperses, fading away, forms flickering back to join the Force, whispers fading until the man and the woman are the only ones left. Even Lady Elizabeth is gone, back with the Force once more, no longer my teacher.

"And that," the man says quietly, "is how it should be."

And he throws his head back and says a word filled with such power that chills runs up my spine.

I gasp.

My hands burn.

When I look back down, the symbols have moved, and now the sun and moon shine on my palms, forever more. The Jedi are the sun, and I am the full moon that walks in their wake, reflecting their light into the darkness. For that is what a Walker is.

The woman steps forward.

"Kya Ranor," she says. "You will face a difficult choice."

"Time is short," the man continues effortlessly. "Soon, you will make that choice."

"The Force cannot guide you there. You must make it."

"And the consequences will be yours to live with as well."

"So choose wisely."

"Think before you act."

"Do not underestimate your enemies."

"Listen to your heart."

"Be wary of the darkness."

"Yet do not walk always in the light."

"For it will blind you to the dark."

"Be careful, sister," the man finishes, his eyes glowing. "This prophecy is the greatest that has ever been. And you are the last that can fulfill it."

I swallow. Hard. So much rides on my shoulders.

"What if I fail?"

The man and woman exchange somber glances. Finally, the woman says, "Then the Force shall fall, and fade entirely, and so will all free-will and love and life."

Ben stands, confident. "She will not fail," he informs them.

The man inclines his head. "Care for her," he murmurs. "She is more than you know. But be wary. The darkness tempts everyone, and it can turn even a flicker of a shadow into a raging fury without any effort at all."

Ben stands his ground. "_We_ will not fail," he repeats.

I stand, and take his hand, and smile. He believes in me, and I love him, and that, for now, is enough. "We will not fail," I agree.

The man and woman link hands, like us, and we are almost mirror images, except that they are so much older and wiser and so far removed from us. Yet there is that connection between them, burning and strong, for they are mates too.

"And that too, is how it should be," the woman says.

"Good luck, my sister."

"Wait!" I exclaim.

The man and woman exchange another glance, weary yet not confused. They know what is coming. They drop their hands, and wait patiently, eyes watching us with the air of resignation and bitterness and sadness, all rolled into something indefinable and so tragic that it makes my heart ache in sympathy.

"Who are the White Lady and the Black Lord?" I ask.

I've been thinking about it almost nonstop since my contest against her. I know the legend, but I also know that that's not enough. I need to know more.

The man sighs. "You will learn, in due time."

"But my Lady Mother – "

The woman cuts me off. "She is not your Lady Mother anymore, child," she says sternly. "And you will learn."

"But . . ."

The man's eyes soften, and he says, very gently, "She was our sister once too, and he our brother. And maybe one day they will be again. But that day . . . may also never come."

The woman smiles sadly. "There are many paths you can take, little sister," she murmurs. "Not all will end with happiness on every side."

"Can I save them?"

For a moment, there is silence.

Both the man and woman seem slightly shocked, as though not expecting that response out of all the responses I could have said. They look like they think I would have taken revenge, instead of asking if I could save them, return to them what they want, perhaps even remind them of who they are and who they could have been. They look like . . . They look like they expected me to ask if I could kill the White Lady and Black Lord.

Ben tugs me closer, smiling. I nestle against him, taking comfort, while I wait for my answer.

The woman closes her eyes, and the Force pulses around her.

The man turns to me. "Do you believe you could save them?" he inquires.

I hesitate.

Then: "I don't know. But . . . I cannot hate them, despite what they have done," I say cautiously. "So maybe . . . if there was a chance . . . if they could be at peace, then perhaps things would be . . . better."

The woman opens her eyes. Her face is smooth; nothing gives her inner feelings away.

"Perhaps you can, child," she says. "And maybe you can change us all."

The man leans forward and kisses me on the brow. "Farewell, sister. We will meet again someday, I am sure of it," he says kindly.

The woman smiles at me.

And then, in a blink, they are gone.

I look down at my hands, where the symbols shimmer faintly on my palms as the Force dances around us. I have the hands of a Walker now. And I will be bound to that no matter what, for the rest of my life, just as surely as I am bound to the Jedi Order and my daughter and my husband.

Ben kisses me. "Let's go home," he suggests.

I twist in his arms to kiss him back. _Yes. Let's. And one day . . . this will be our home._

Ben nods.

I look around as the Force grows dim. I will not return here for a long time, I know, now that my initiation is complete. I will miss this place, the place of my birth and my training and where I learnt who I was. It is my home.

But there are things to be done, and I must do them.

For I am a Walker, and I chose to walk this path, and so I will do as every brother and sister before me has done.

I will do my duty.

**_The End_**

* * *

And that's the end of Another Future. Thanks so much for staying with me throughout not only this story but its prequel before that, and double thanks to everyone who reviewed.


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